


Streak of luck

by Mahkachan



Category: Villainous (Cartoon)
Genre: A/B/O system, Alpha Black Hat, Angst, Badass!Dr. Flug, Beta Demencia, Blood and Gore, Child Abuse, Dr. Flug is a nervous ball of fluff, ESL author, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I don't know where they live so I'll just say USA, I mean everything I touch becomes gay, I'm basic like that, Jealous!Black Hat, M/M, Mentions of mpreg but no actual mpreg, Omega Dr. Flug, Omegaverse, Paperhat - Freeform, Possessive!Black Hat, Rating May Change, canon? what is that? is it edible?, more hurt than comfort actually, no mpreg ever forever, secondary gender...ism?, this is very gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2018-11-23 15:31:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 18
Words: 155,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11405307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mahkachan/pseuds/Mahkachan
Summary: Flug Slys knows he’s the unluckiest person to ever set foot on Earth.In their messed up world, omegas, especially male ones, were vastly treasured, but in a twisted, cruel way: because of their extreme rarity, male omegas were promised to kings, emperors, presidents, rich alphas in power, etc, with no say in the matter. Flug happens to be one of them, but he's also managed to hide this fact for eleven years. That is, until Demencia decides she likes stealing his packages containing scent blockers, and suddenly everyone in the Black Hat manor finds out. Everyone, including his incredibly possessive alpha boss, Black Hat.





	1. Tale of the unlucky scientist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Flug notices his package with his scent blockers aren't around and everything goes to shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first Villainous fanfic, but not my first fanfic.
> 
> Enjoy, I guess. This is gonna be real weird :P first A/B/O fanfic in this category, too. ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED.

Flug Slys knows he’s the unluckiest person to ever set foot on Earth.

Everything he’d ever done had a small percentage of success and a high percentage of failure. Simple, basic, essential, involuntary and primal human functions such as breathing could also be extremely dangerous; he could easily choke on his own saliva and die. He didn’t want to leave this way — it was one of the most pathetic ways someone could possibly pass away. Every machine, weapon, gas or fluid he created had to be carefully handled, especially since Flug didn’t want melted off fingers, some random cancer or disease, or a bullet hole in his head. This task proved itself to be harder every day with the existence of Demencia, who insisted on trying to scare him when he was handling dangerous and delicate objects. Because of her, he was seriously considering putting some locks on his door — twelve, at least, but he could settle with fifty without a problem.

And then there was his boss, Black Hat.

Black Hat was a curious case. He didn’t seem to have any genuine positive emotions. He was composed of sadism, sarcasm, negativity, and anger. Perhaps it was normal for a… demon? Truth be told, no one knew what Black Hat was, so they simply settled on calling him a demon. His boss never protested. Perhaps he liked the title, and Flug could understand why. Demons were fierce and devilish creatures, feared by many, and, if there was one thing Black Hat liked, it was being  _feared_. He was perhaps one of the most feared villains out there, if not  _the most_  feared one. Black Hat liked to think he was superior to all of the other villains. This also applied to superheroes. There was also another simple thing: the demon could easily be the most feared  **alpha**. That scared Flug  _a lot_ , and for a good reason.

Their society was divided in three categories that composed their hierarchical system, and those categories were based on something called a “secondary gender”. The first ranking was composed of alphas. They were the highest on the hierarchy and the majority world-wide. Alphas were generally aggressive and impulsive, and they act on their instincts more often than not. Most of the world leaders, influential people and rich people were alphas, and quite prominent ones. One of the easiest ways to identify an alpha, besides their (painfully reckless) behavior, is by their scent. Alphas have a strong spicy scent — some aren’t as strong as others, but they are still strong enough to be noticed from miles away. When they were ready to mate, the alphas had ruts; these ruts had intervals of six months between each other.

The second ranking was composed of betas. Betas were, in a nutshell, normal people. Their secondary gender is basically nonexistent, but, for equality reasons, they were also given a name, especially since they also need a clarification other than ‘neither alpha nor omega’. Betas did not have a scent or a specific pattern of behaviors. They did not have ruts or heats like alphas and omegas either. Finding out you’re a beta is quite… disappointing, some dare say. But, at least, they weren’t the lowest ones in the rank…

… The omegas were.

Saying you were an omega was like saying you were a Kirin or a unicorn. It’s a highly unlikely chance. Despite being in the last ranking, and the lowest one, omegas were vastly treasured. In a world of seven billion people, only around a few thousand were expected to be omegas, and ninety-percent of them were expected to be females. It was more likely for a person to win the lottery thirteen times than to have a male omega child, and it was more likely for the child to win the lottery twenty times than become a legal adult without having their identity discovered and their liberty and human rights stripped away from them without a say in the matter. Male omegas were promised to kings, emperors, presidents, rich alphas in power, etc. Their fate was sealed the moment their secondary gender was revealed. And that’s how his problems started.

Flug Slys was an unmated, untouched male omega.

The day he found that out was the worst day of his entire life thus far. For some unknown reason, he was born without a uterus, which gave the doctors the impression that he was going to be an alpha, due to the presence of scent glands. His father, a rich alpha businessman who wanted a strong male heir to receive his company after his death, was pleased. Of course, the situation was not perfect for him, since he and his wife both had dark skin and their child had the fairest skin he’d ever seen in his life. Flug had inherited his grandmother’s albinism, a chance of 1 in 50 of happening. The man still resented the child for it, because it looked like he wasn’t really his son, but “at least he was an alpha”, according to him.

Flug spent eight years of his life training to become the next boss of his father’s company, and to inherit it once the man died. He presented at that same age, and the whole world just came crashing for him. His father’s resentment grew, and the ongoing abuse got stronger and stronger, until he put an end to it by running away and never looking back. The years after were all a blur of crashing on his friends’ couches and moving constantly, travelling between cities. He did remember one thing: buying scent blockers. They blocked his scent and prevented him from being abused on the streets or claimed by a random stranger. He should be thankful his lack of uterus meant a lack of heats as well.

Saying you were an unmated male omega out loud on the streets during a busy day would warrant you a load of problems, which is why Flug never told anyone he knew about it, not even his closest friends — the only people who knew were his father, an old family friend, and his four older sisters, who were there the day he presented. Every day, ever since he became fourteen and left his house for good, he expected a car to stop him, kidnap him and take him to some czar in Russia, where he would be forced into marriage. His fears were somewhat gone after he started working for Black Hat. His strong alpha scent was discernible and stood out from the other alphas, and it was clear this was his intention. He was  _ **the**_  alpha, the one they all should fear, because he was superior, and so was his scent. Saying Dr. Flug felt distraught by his boss’ scent was an understatement.

He was offered the job at sixteen years of age, almost seventeen, and kept working for Black Hat for two years. This year he would become nineteen, on November 23rd, to be precise. To his surprise, he’d managed to keep his secondary gender a secret, lying to everyone and saying he was a beta. They all accepted it. After all, Dr. Flug didn’t have a scent (thanks to the scent blockers) and he seemed fairly normal, not having heats or ruts to interrupt his work. Every month he would order thirty-one or thirty scent blockers (depending on the month, as each lasted a day) on the internet and get them before anyone peeked inside, and he would keep them safe in a hidden safe in his lab. When questioned about the package and what was inside, he would say it was extra material for a project (there was no project, but it was better than telling the truth).

He’s learned a lot about his ‘colleague’ of sorts, Demencia. She was a beta ‘like him’, and she was deeply in love with Black Hat. When she wasn’t bothering him while he worked, she would carry on about his scent, his ‘charming’ personality, his appearance, etc. It drove Dr. Flug mad. Black Hat intimidated him for a thousand reasons: he was something demon-like, he could do anything, he wasn’t afraid of consequences, he could kill him in a second without leaving evidences, and  _he was an alpha_. Alphas scared him. There was something called an ‘alpha command’, which could be resumed in ten simple words: “if an alpha says ‘I command you’, you must obey”. It wasn’t an option, and it only worked on omegas. Every day, when Black Hat entered his lab to check on him, Flug imagined him saying ‘I command you’ and, when Flug would be forced into submission, he would find out.

Thankfully, everything was good…

… Until today.

When Dr. Flug stepped outside to pick his box of scent blockers, which were said to be delivered that day, he couldn’t find anything. Nervous about the whole ordeal already, he called the mail department, which informed him that the mail had, in fact, been delivered and should’ve been there already. He could hear them ask something, but he’d already finished the call before the question could be completed. Flug paced nervously around his laboratory, sipping on his coffee, which only made him more nervous, and he regretted not making some tea instead. Everything made him think. Who would steal a package from Black Hat’s manor? It’s a good way to get your body impaled. Simply trespassing was already a suicide mission, but actually  _stealing_  from Black Hat? No one would—

Actually, he knew one person who would do this: Demencia.

The lizard-human hybrid was well-known (and infamous) for having zero critical thinking. Flug wanted to step outside and accuse her at that very moment, but he had literally no evidence. What could he do? “Wait, we have cameras, don’t we?” He whispered to himself. They did, in fact, have cameras, including one on the front door. Hacking it was simple. He watched the mail deliverer put his package near the mailbox, and he watched as, a few minutes later, Demencia stepped out of the manor to grab it, probably out of curiosity, as she didn’t bother checking inside the mailbox. Dr. Flug was already shaking with rage. God, if something happened to those scent blockers he was going to _kill_ Demencia. He grabbed his phone and checked the time: eleven and fifty-five in the morning.

His last scent blocker’s effect would end in five minutes.

He had to be fast. Flug put his phone inside one of his coat’s pockets, left his lab and started heading towards Demencia’s room when he spotted her on the living room, sitting on a couch, playing Mario Kart. He marched to the television and hastily pulled the plug, turning it off. The girl in front of him shot him a stare of disbelief. “Hey, what was that for? I was winning!” She complained. Dr. Flug narrowed his eyes at her, a rare occurrence, since he wasn’t the confronting type, but when it came to keeping his secondary gender a secret he would go to great lengths, maybe even challenge Black Hat to a fencing match if needed.

“Where’s the package you stole from me, Demencia?” He demanded. She shrugged.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Flugsies.” He could smell her lies from miles away. That’s her game: she lies until you back her in a corner, then she starts to try and make you change the subject. It’s always worked with Dr. Flug before, but not now.

“I  _saw_  you on the cameras, Demencia. You took the package that was meant for me. It was near the mailbox.” Flug explained, feeling his patience thinning. Demencia opened her mouth to retort but he continued talking. “And  _yes_ , I know it was meant for me. It had my name on it. Now, I’ll ask one more time:  _where is the package_?” Despite all of the evidence, Demencia never gave in. She continued to lie until Dr. Flug felt himself running out of time. Checking his cellphone once more, his heart skipped a beat as he realized he only had one more minute until the scent blocker’s effect wore off. “Stop it, Demencia!  _Where is the fucking package_?!” He yelled, cursing for the first time in ages, starting to lose his mind. There was no solution to this. If he gave up, he would either have to tell everyone the truth and risk being shipped away to a foreign country or lock himself away until new scent blockers arrived, avoiding contact with everyone and everything and he knew that, with such a strict boss, this wasn’t going to happen.

“ **What the fuck is happening here?** ” A booming voice echoed.

 _Speaking of the devil_ , Flug thought, gulping. He knew he should have never left the bed that morning. “S-sir, Demencia stole a package meant for me and will not give it back.” He explained, as Black Hat looked as unamused as ever. He probably looked stupid, arguing over one simple package. If only his boss knew what one missing package meant for him, his reputation and basically his whole life…

“He doesn’t even need those stupid scent blockers, he’s a beta!” Demencia exclaimed next to him, making the scientist jump. Flug stuttered, his mind racing, as he tried to find a reason, but his mind only focused on one thing at that moment. He had never told her what was inside the package, which only meant one thing.

“You  _opened_  the package?”

“I was curious,” she sang nonchalantly. Dr. Flug was so outraged he didn’t even notice his phone buzzing in his pocket. God, who could be calling him so early in the morning? “But why did you order scent blockers anyway? Betas don’t have scent glands.” She stated with a shrug, and now it was Flug’s turn to be backed in a corner… again. Black Hat watched them, still unamused and waiting for their little argument to end. Of course, Demencia continued talking. “I mean, unless you aren’t a beta.” She grinned and leaned against his shoulder. Flug’s heart went flat-line as he murmured a quiet ‘I am’. When she got too close to his neck, Demencia scrunched up her nose. “What’s that smell?” That’s when the buzzing in his pocket finally came to an end, one whole minute later, and realization hit Dr. Flug like a bus, and his heart flat-lined again.

He skedaddled to his lab without a second thought, closed the door behind him, and put a hand on his chest, just to check if his heart was still beating. Thankfully, and not surprisingly, it was, but rather quickly.

He hadn’t realized tears were rolling down his cheeks until a meek sob escaped his lips. One simple error had just ended his life for good. Demencia probably realized what was going on already, and she was probably telling Black Hat he was an omega at this very moment.  _Oh my god, what is Black Hat going to do to me?_ He thought, the thorns of panic pricking his soul. He thought about thousands of possibilities, one of which was forcing him to be his mate against his will. He knew how much Black Hat hated him, but having a young male omega as a mate was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and, seeing how greedy and opportunistic his boss was, that scary scenario became much more realistic. That would give him status, and status was what Black Hat wanted — why else would he try to make his scent as noticeable as possible?

He jumped when he heard a knock at the door.

“Flugsies, Black Hat told me to give you your package back, open the door!” She knocked again, but he didn’t answer. His laboratory was bathed in omega scent. Flug took a deep breath. It’d been eleven years since he last smelled his own scent. It smelled like a garden of jasmines and roses. His oldest sister used to receive flowers from lots of people, both boys and girls, and she sometimes let him put some around his room for their pleasantly sweet aroma, but usually had to hide it from his father, in fear he would scold and punish him for being “too girly for an alpha” back when he hadn’t presented yet. “Come on, Dr. Flug, let me in! I didn’t know you didn’t like being an alpha! Black Hat probably won’t mind since your scent is very sweet compared to his. I like his better, though. It’s so manly and exciting.” She sighed dreamily from the other side of the door.

That day was going to be full of surprises, wasn’t it?

“But I’m not an alpha.” He let it slip, before putting a hand over where his mouth should be, considering he was still using his paper bag. God, how could he be so stupid? Demencia’s reaction was… unexpected, to say the least. She began laughing madly like she had just heard one of those dark jokes she usually digs from Reddit (and she often interrupts his work to share them with him).

“What else could you be? You’re not a beta, that’s for sure.” Did… Did she not know what omegas were? It wouldn’t be a surprise if she didn’t, to be honest, since she had never left that manor, barely going past the mailbox, being a failed creation of Black Hat, a poor attempt at creating a human-animal hybrid. Flug knew he was aiming for a Godzilla-like being, but ended up with her instead. He also found out about a year ago that she was just as old as his grandmother, but, because she was a creation of Black Hat, who was  _something inhuman_ , she (apparently) never aged and continued looking like someone in their early twenties or late teens. Because of her lack of contact with the outside, there was a possibility that she only knew the existence of two secondary genders based on experience: alphas (because of Black Hat) and betas (because of her). Flug paused for a moment. Should he tell her? He needed to make sure she wasn’t joking around.

“Demencia, how many secondary genders are there?”

“Two, of course: alphas and betas. You should know that, Flugsies, you’re the nerdy scientist here!” Dr. Flug really wanted to scream right now; out of frustration or happiness, he didn’t know. On one hand, if Demencia didn’t know what he was, and how rare he was, she wouldn’t just spill his secret around. On the other hand, because of that exact same reason, she could spill it out in a conversation casually, thinking it was normal. Heh, could you imagine that? Could you imagine omegas being free and having normal lives, not being constantly worried about being taken away? How unnatural.

“Um, yeah, that’s right…” He lied, opening the door and letting her in, before closing it again; he couldn’t risk letting the scent spread around the manor. She walked right in and sniffed the air again, not caring when Flug hastily grabbed the package from her hands. All thirty-one of his scent blockers were there, and thankfully none of them were broken. He looked back at Demencia, who was still sniffing the air with a genuine smile on her face. Well, at least he knew his smell was pleasant, and, since betas didn’t have primal instincts like alphas, he knew she wouldn’t mindlessly attack him. For once he was happy for her creepy attraction to Black Hat. This reminded him of one thing. “Where’s Black Hat?” He asked her.

“He went back to his office. He was murmuring something, but I don’t know what about.” She took a deep breath. “I didn’t know alphas could smell so sweet! It’s like a garden! Too bad we can’t have those. I could have a human-eating flower! Imagine those children wanting to pet the flower and then getting eaten out of nowhere. Maybe the flower could even spit out their bones so we could make a skeleton army!” Flug nodded, spraying himself with one of the scent blockers absentmindedly. Was Black Hat whispering about him? It was possible, but he really hoped he wasn’t. Maybe he should accept the fact that Black Hat found out his true secondary gender. Dr. Flug wondered how his relationship with his boss would change.

He would wait and see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what to expect of this.
> 
> EDIT: While editing this chapter I repeated a paragraph. Should be gone now.


	2. A caged bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Black Hat has an inner crisis and Dr. Flug watches as his freedom is slowly stripped away from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am, people~
> 
> I promised I would post today and here I am. I'm actually really surprised and glad this got so much attention. I will try to post as frequently as I can, but, since I'm a high school junior, it'll be harder, but, on a lighter note, my vacation is just one week away! I'll have more free time by then. And I gotta warn you: there's gonna be drama. Drama is my life. I love drama. I don't know if you guys like drama, but, like the tags promised, there's drama and angst, so here it is!
> 
> Also, just a thing I noticed, there's a tag that says "I'm glad my parents don't speak english". I think some of you thought I spoke spanish...? I mean, it's understandable, since Villainous is originally from Mexico, but can we get one thing straight? I don't speak spanish. I can understand it very well, almost fluently (because it shares roots with my mother tongue) but I can't speak it, I have a brain fart whenever I try to. So, fun fact about author-chan: I'm from Brazil. I speak portuguese. I don't like soccer. I might have a big butt, but it depends on who I'm competing against. Nope, I don't have a sexy accent. No, our capital is not Rio de Janeiro/São Paulo/Buenos Aires (I find the last one so funny, you guys have no idea). You guys CAN and SHOULD leave spanish reviews, since I need to train a little, but I don't wanna make you guys confused, okay? Okay. Also an excuse for my shitty spanish XD
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the drama~

Black Hat’s always thought he was the superior alpha compared to everyone else.

Well, he had the right to think that way. He was smarter, stronger, richer, and overall better than all of those other mortal alphas who were full of themselves. Most of them would die at some point, possibly by their own stupidity, so Black Hat never bothered trying to correct them. However, despite being a creature of pure evil and of many powers — practically a god by human standards — he still had weaknesses. The first one would be his rut. Despite being almost a god, as mentioned earlier, he still had a certain number of human coding in his genes, which not only allowed him to be an alpha, but also allowed the presence of one week of gratuitous suffering. Sometimes (when he was really busy with work) he would be able to control and delay his rut with sheer willpower, but, most of the time, he didn’t care. At first, he thought his rut was the bane of his existence, but now that role belonged to Demencia. The ruts were becoming more and more tolerable with time, and, at that point, Black Hat really thought he had no weaknesses.

Then Flug Slys entered his life, and, just like his name suggested, it was like a plane crash.

If anyone ever asked Black Hat what he thought about the scientist, he would flat out tell them he was a worthless piece of shit that just happened to have a high IQ to even his weak beta body. Quite strangely, Black Hat himself felt quite the opposite. Dr. Flug was kind but also firm when needed (especially with Demencia); he was very submissive and compliant; he adapted very easily; he was a mastermind in the body of a teenager; he was persistent; he hid his weaknesses; he was always trying to impress his boss, and he always succeeded. Because he had an image and reputation to keep, Black Hat would never say that out loud. Sometimes he wished he did, because he saw how the scientist’s confidence was hitting the negative numbers, but he couldn’t. Whenever he saw Flug, or even when he simply thought about Flug, he felt a weird feeling building up in his chest, a strange need…

… A need to  _protect_.

He had never felt this way before. No mortal could entertain him to the point of being granted a quarter of his affection. He would eventually get bored of them and move onto the next prey. Heck, he would let go of Demencia without a second thought, and she was his relative of sorts, but he found her somewhat useful as an ally. He could never think about letting Dr. Flug go. The thought of his scientist not being there, the thought of him belonging to someone else and everything related to this scenario would make him growl. If Black Hat was sure of one thing was that he never growled. He could yell all he wanted, but he would  _never_ growl. It was a primal instinct of his inner alpha and Black Hat would never stoop so low as to give in to his instincts. He couldn’t even understand why he was acting like this. The boy was a mere beta, not some holy unmarked omega.

Well, he knew one thing: beta or not, his inner alpha didn’t care.

For two years Black Hat found himself falling in love with that boy even more. At first he felt disgusted, for the boy was not only his underling and employee, but also underage. How would a demon that’s been around since the dawn of human civilization explain his romantic relationship with a sixteen-year-old human male, someone who’s not even a legal adult in the eyes of society? As the boy grew older, eventually reaching adulthood, Black Hat began to worry less about his age and more about his feelings for him. He couldn’t be seen showing his feelings for Dr. Flug. Feelings meant weakness, and Black Hat couldn’t show his weaknesses. If showing one’s weaknesses didn’t have any lasting consequences, everyone would do it, but they didn’t for a reason. He had a reputation; he had an image; he had  _enemies_ …

… Enemies that could kidnap Flug and do horrible things to him, just to get to his boss.

The thought made him growl once again. At this point, he didn’t know if he cared anymore. His inner alpha wanted to claim that fragile beta as his. No matter how much he tried to fight that instinct, it just wouldn’t go away. On the contrary, it would latch onto him like a rose’s sharp thorns. To counter these feelings, knowing they were foolish and dangerous, Black Hat began to get more distant and crueler. He would punish Flug for stupid things and make sure the boy understood  _he_  was the alpha, and thus should be feared and respected. It hurt to see the one he secretly loved cowering at his presence. Slowly, day by day, he killed the little confidence his scientist still had left and ended up with an empty shell. His inner alpha howled and protested, wanting to protect that boy, not hurt him, but that only made Black Hat do worse things. It was a never-ending vicious cycle.

Then the unexpected happened.

He had woken up in an unusually good mood that morning. It was a rare moment indeed. Despite never needing sleep, sometimes Black Hat rested just to reset his mind and he usually felt good after doing so. He got ready for work and headed downstairs to check on the mail when he heard a familiar voice’s shouts coming from the living room. “Stop it, Demencia!  _Where is the fucking package_?!” Said voice exclaimed, anger evident in the tone the phrase had been uttered. It looked like Dr. Flug wasn’t having a good day, and it was only— one minute until noon? How did he sleep so much? Well, it didn’t matter. Right now he had to focus on the mess that was happening in his living room. To be honest, he wasn’t surprised in the slightest when Demencia’s name was uttered, considering she annoyed Dr. Flug constantly. He still needed to intervene, however.

“ **What the fuck is happening here?** ” He asked, using his most demanding and menacing voice. He rarely felt the need to use it, but it made him more intimidating, so he did… _constantly_. He would be ashamed if he were a human, but as an immortal, demon-like being, he couldn’t care less. He saw Dr. Flug get nervous when his presence was acknowledged by both him and his failed creation.

“S-sir, Demencia stole a package meant for me and will not give it back.” He explained slowly, fidgeting. Black Hat tried to keep a stoic face, but, inside, he wanted to laugh. This whole argument was because of a goddamn  _package_? Demencia was known for stealing things. She’s stolen multiple hats from him (and suffered the consequences), and she’s stolen food from the fridge at night. Perhaps she’d never stolen from Dr. Flug before, and maybe he was surprised, but, with some death threats and physical injuring, she would give it back in an hour or two; half an hour, if she was feeling like being a good person. It was really suspicious that Dr. Flug was awfully possessive of those packages he ordered every month. It made both Black Hat and Demencia wary, but he never thought about investigating, and apparently the latter decided to take matters into her own hands.

“He doesn’t even need those stupid scent blockers, he’s a beta!” He’d almost forgotten about Demencia’s existence as she protested. So his scientist was ordering scent blockers all this time? What for, though? He was a beta, and betas didn’t have scent glands. The girl had a point. He watched Dr. Flug stutter before he paused, then shot her a glare of disbelief.

“You  _opened_ the package?”

“I was curious,” she responded. Black Hat couldn’t help but notice Dr. Flug’s phone started buzzing, but its owner paid it no mind to the annoying sound. “But why did you order scent blockers anyway? Betas don’t have scent glands.” Demencia pointed out with a lazy shrug. Dr. Flug never responded. Neither did Black Hat, as he was too concentrated on something. What was that smell? It came out of nowhere and seemed like a combination of various flowers, and it was notoriously sweet, but it hadn’t been there before. He snapped back to reality when Demencia said: “I mean, unless you aren’t a beta.” And the gears in his head began turning. Sweet scent; submissive behavior; scent blockers; awfully secretive about the packages he ordered; there were too many signs and they all pointed towards one thing. “What’s that smell?” The girl asked as she leaned against Dr. Flug’s shoulder. The doctor froze completely. The buzzing stopped, and so did everyone in the room.

Flug dashed to his lab without looking back or hesitating. When he approached Black Hat, and the scent became even stronger, before fading again as he left, everything fell into place. Now Black Hat was sure of two things:

 **1.** Flug Slys was an unmated male omega.  
**2.** Flug Slys had  _lied_  to him.

The first one was incredibly surprising, and the second one was outright enraging. When he signed the contract Black Hat himself had written, the first thing he had agreed on was ‘no lies’. When asked about his secondary gender he’d broken the first rule. Perhaps he had been foolish in thinking Dr. Flug would trust him. Why would he, though? Black Hat was a ‘demon’, or, at least, that’s what they thought. Who would trust a demon? Besides, he knew how omegas were treated out there. Having been around for so long, he watched everything unfold. Omegas weren’t human beings, they were accessories. If you ever hinted you were one you were up for an investigation. If you lied about being one, you could face severe charges such as  _fraud_  (which made absolutely no sense for Black Hat and everyone else). So, on one hand, he could understand Dr. Flug’s fear, but, on the other, he was still livid. He hadn’t noticed he was mumbling about their current predicament until it was too late.

He turned to Demencia. “Give him his scent blockers back right now. If you don’t, I will rip your guts open and make sure you bleed to death.” He threatened, using his most frightening voice tone, while walking up the stairs and heading to his office, not awaiting a response. He needed some peace to sort everything out. His inner alpha was going mad. His scientist had been an omega all this time. That meant there  _was_  a reason he was so in love with that boy. It wasn’t a random crush after all. Alphas were supposed to be attracted to omegas, like magnets were attracted to their opposites. Despite that discovery, he still couldn’t show Dr. Flug any kind of affection. He had to be strong, fight his primal instincts and carry on. However, he could still do  _one_ thing:

Interrogate him.

_**.  .  .** _

It was almost midnight when he knocked on the lab’s door.

Black Hat knew Dr. Flug was awake. Not only was the doctor notorious for sleeping at random late hours (maybe that was why his trademark was coffee), but the shuffling of papers inside his lab could be easily heard from the second floor. “Dr. Flug, I know you’re awake. Open this door. We need to talk.” He said, trying to be as emotionless as possible. He could feel the younger man’s hesitance before the door opened. There wasn’t a lock, but he didn’t want to trespass, especially with the scientist’s fragile state of mind at that moment — the least he could do was at least give him a warning. Black Hat knew he was going to regret this decision as soon as the door was opened and Flug’s omega scent hit him like a thousand trucks. Dr. Flug must have noticed his sudden discomfort and Black Hat scolded himself mentally for letting that happen.

“I-I’m sorry, sir! I-I tried to get the scent off but nothing worked and—”

“Save your excuses for later, doctor.” Black Hat interrupted, stepping inside, and Dr. Flug immediately shut his mouth.  _He’s so submissive, how did I not notice it before?_ He thought, already feeling frustrated, and it was only the beginning of their conversation. He waited until the scientist closed the door behind them. “I’m here to talk about your little lying habits.” Flug stiffened at that, left hand still on the knob, the other on his side. His boss paid him no mind and continued. “Doctor, when you signed the contract that stated you would work for me, the first rule thing you’ve agreed on obeying was that you would never lie to me. Upon saying you were a beta, you automatically broke that rule. Did you really think there wouldn’t be consequences?” Dr. Flug flinched under him, already feeling a panic attack coming. God, how had he gotten in this mess? “I only ask you one thing:  _why_?” The room dove into silence as Flug relaxed a little. He was expecting something else— something much worse.

“I… I can’t…” He murmured, curling his hands into fists.

“Speak coherently, doctor. I know you have this ability just like the rest of your miserable species.”

“I couldn’t. I can’t…” Dr. Flug spoke, louder this time. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and try to think properly. He managed to find his words. “I’m a male omega. I’m one of the rarest things you could think of. I-If anyone found out, they would take me away. I would become a slave, have no freedom… I don’t want that to happen.” He took another deep breath, swallowing the lump that was already forming in his throat, expecting Black Hat to say something, but he never did. He just listened. “I-I’ve watched them. All of the omegas that are taken against their will are locked away, treated as cattle, o-or seen as jewelry. M-my point is that omegas are rare, and they are wanted. We’re just sex toys and accessories, I know it. I can’t accept it, but I acknowledge it. I was scared that, if I told you I was an omega, you’d sell me to someone, or… try to make me your… mate…” The last part was a mere whisper as Dr. Flug stared at his shoes in shame. “I’m sorry I lied to you, sir, but if I have to break a contract with a demon, or even the devil himself, to keep my freedom, then I will.”

“I see,” Black Hat said emotionlessly whilst eyeing the omega in front of him with interest. He sure made the right choice when he employed him. Flug was bold. He would never admit it, but those words stung. To think society had regressed so much as to treat omegas as sub-humans was truly ironic. So much for the ‘superior race’… “I will allow this to go unpunished this time, but  _only_  this time.” He could hear Dr. Flug let out a sigh of relief. He was going to wrap this up until he had another idea. “ _However_ —” he continued, his voice getting louder and firmer this time, as he started walking towards Flug. His scientist straightened himself once again, his heart raced and his breaths became more inconsistent. Black Hat never bothered trying to hide his grin. Thousands of phrases that followed after that word popped up on Flug’s mind, and each one was worse than the first. “—I must ask one more question: what other secrets are you hiding from me?” Even if that was much tamer than he’d expected, Flug was terrified, and for good reason. He didn’t want to say anything else, but if he didn’t, he would be forced. He was sure Black Hat knew about the alpha commands. Heck, he had just dug his own grave, so he might as well bury himself already.

“My… My name is not Flug Slys, it’s never been.” He paused, trying to think of how he would explain this. Just like before, Black Hat never uttered a single word, encouraging him to continue. “When I ran away from my old house, I brought along a fake identity that I created myself, so none of them would track me down, and so I could start over. My past self is dead, and so is my old name. Or, at least, that’s what I like to think.” Despite having been years since he’d last talked about that subject, it felt so  _recent_ … He felt wrong talking about it. It was like touching an open wound— it  _hurt_. “My real name is Thomasin Mulligan…” Those last two words left a bad taste in his mouth, because it reminded him of  _them_. Another thing that he hated was that it was such a  _feminine_ _name_ , even for his father. He’d been suspecting his father wasn’t the one who chose it. “These are the only things I lied about, I-I promise.”

“Hmm…” Black Hat hummed thoughtfully, heading to the door. This secret wasn’t as exciting as the first one, but it was still interesting nonetheless. Dr. Flug stepped out of the way, putting his hands on his back, trying to be as quiet and polite as he could. The air was full of tension, even if it smelled like freshly-picked flowers. Dr. Flug knew his relationship with his boss was going to be different from now on, but he never gave a single clue on  _how_ different it would be. As if he had just read his mind, Black Hat added: “I just want you to know that your secondary gender won’t change anything. You will not receive any special treatment because of it.” His tone was cold and emotionless, just like before.  _Like it has always been,_  Flug thought, feeling a huge weight leaving his shoulders, wanting to say ‘thank you’ a thousand times, but instead he said:

“That’s what I hope, sir.”

_**.  .  .** _

They were running out of groceries.

Dr. Flug had first noticed the lack of food when he went to the kitchen to make himself some coffee at three in the morning (since he was craving it) after everything had been settled between him and Black Hat. They had no eggs left; the milk carton was almost empty; there was barely any butter; they were running out of cereal, amongst other things. After he finished drinking his coffee, Flug went to his lab and grabbed a notebook, yanking a blank page out. Half-asleep, he made a small list of items he would have to buy that day when he woke up. The list was messy and almost incoherent, but he was used to it (considering his small condition), so he just set it aside and went to his bedroom to get some sleep. However, even in his dreams he couldn’t escape his harsh reality.

Everything started out fine. He was in his lab, crafting some unknown metallic, gun-looking machine while taking notes — probably a new weapon for Black Hat — until he started feeling uneasy, as if someone or  _something_  was watching him constantly and their intentions didn’t seem good. Just seconds later, Dr. Flug heard the door to his lab being forcefully kicked open, and he didn’t even have time to understand the situation before two police officers grabbed him by the shoulders and began dragging him away. He didn’t even try to resist, he just had a massive panic attack, watching as they took him away from everything he knew, including his freedom.

Dr. Flug woke up in the morning covered in sweat and tears, the bag askew in his head. It had been a nightmare, and just a nightmare.  _God, I’m pathetic_ , he laughed bitterly, heading towards his bathroom while trying to fix his appearance. Perhaps he should be glad most of his wounds had healed with time, but the scars were still there, and so were the memories. “I should just let go of them already,” he murmured, hastily washing his face and putting on another bag and his goggles. “Why can’t I, then?” No matter how many times he asked himself that question, there was no definite answer. In fact, he was sure there wasn’t an answer at all. He shot a quick glance at the clock which marked eleven in the morning. His last scent blocker’s effect would end around 12:10. The supermarket was across the street; he could easily grab the needed groceries in less than ten minutes and return without a problem.

The living room was awfully quiet that day. Silence always scared him more than noises did. Silence was unpredictable, unreadable. Silence was fearsome. Silence was—  _what am I doing? I don’t have time for this!_ He scolded himself. Dr. Flug had an awful habit of losing himself in his thoughts, and that was dangerous, especially during a fight. The thought made him chuckle. As if a pathetic omega like him could fight… The door was just a few centimeters away. He could almost touch the knob alread—

“ _ **Where do you think you are going?**_ ”

Ah, there it was: the phrase that sliced the silence in half. Dr. Flug turned around casually, and there was his boss, staring at him with arms crossed and an expressionless face. “A-ah, good morning, sir… Uh, we’re running out of groceries so I’m going to the market to get more.” He tried to explain it as briefly as he could. He was running out of time and his previous scent blocker’s effect would wear off in less than an hour. They were wasting time. He would also be lying if he said he didn’t want to leave that manor. He had been in there for so long he didn’t know  _what_ sunlight was anymore. Alright, maybe he was exaggerating  _a little_ , considering he had left the day before by the morning to grab his package. Still, some fresh air would calm him down and clear his mind. Just as he turned around to leave the room, Black Hat materialized in front of him. It was something Flug thought he’d only see in his nightmares. He jumped in surprise with a small yelp.

“ **NO.** ”

…What?

“What?” He asked flatly.

“You’re no longer leaving this manor without my permission or supervision. I will hire someone to buy the groceries.” Black Hat announced expressionlessly. Flug was expecting some kind of punchline, but it never came. There was only silence between them. This was a joke, right? It had to be one. The market was  _right across the goddamn street_ , where was the danger in that? With Black Hat’s stoic posture, his emotionless countenance, his burning stare, his negative aura… No, he was being completely serious about this. Dr. Flug felt his stomach dropping and his mind started shutting itself down as soon as it processed the situation.  _No, no, no, no, no, no, this can’t be happening_ , he took a step back, afraid to stare at his boss in the eye. Why…? Why would he do that? Could… could it be? No, he needed to be sure. “Dr. Flug—” Black Hat started upon noticing his scientist’s expected reaction, but he cut him off.

“The market is just across the street,” he informed matter-of-factly, finally meeting his boss’ intimidating gaze, trying to reason with him. He’d been told multiple times ‘you can’t reason with crazy’, but he had to try. He would try  _anything_. “I won’t be gone for long. It’s just ten minutes—”

“I said  _ **no**_ , and that is final.”

There was a pregnant pause. None of them dared break the stare. Black Hat’s inner alpha was vicious and menacing, and now it was showing traces of dominance. Flug’s inner omega was submissive and calm, but it was also  _persistent_. That was his best and worst trait, depending on the situation, and, right now, it was his worst trait. “…Is it because I’m an omega?” He was met with silence; complete, utter silence. It was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. He couldn’t hold it anymore. Dr. Flug burst out laughing, doubling over. That was it. He was going mad. He was guffawing in Black Hat’s face, but, strangely enough, the older alpha did nothing. He just stared in confusion. When he was done, he took a deep breath and stared at Black Hat dead in the eye. His fear was gone. He now felt nothing but exasperation. “It  _is_ , isn’t it?” He was met with more silence. “What was that you said last night? That my secondary gender wouldn’t change anything between us? Am I really the only one who’s lying here?”

“ _Don’t talk to me like that._ ” Black Hat growled dangerously, finally finding his voice, taking a step forward as a warning, but Dr. Flug never backed down. He was blinded by  _rage_ _at its finest_.

“Then why don’t you let me go?!” He screamed. Black Hat snapped.

“ **B ͢E҉ C̢ ̸A̴ U̕ S E͞ ͘ ̶     ͝ ͝Y ̢O͡ U̢ ͡ ̴     B̡ ̕E͢ L O͢ ͞N̴ G͠ ͢ ҉ ̨     ͝ T O͞ ͡ ͡   ͝ ҉ ̕ M E.̷** ”

Black Hat’s harsh expression never faltered. Dr. Flug flinched and stared at him with wide eyes, gaping.  _Belong_  to  _him_ …? How could his boss treat him like a fucking  _object_? Narrowing his eye, Black Hat mentally scolded himself once again. He was letting himself be influenced by his inner alpha. How did he let that happen? “You are  _not_  leaving this mansion. This is an order.” He stated one last time before teleporting himself to his office, leaving his employee alone. Flug stared at his feet, trying to control his anger, confusion, and fear, until he couldn’t anymore. He was tired of holding his feelings back. He didn’t have any more strength to do so. He dropped to his knees and let the tears he was holding back for so long roll down his cheeks. A wretched sob escaped his lips. His hands curled into fists. His whole body was shaking. His inner omega wept. That was it. That was Flug’s worst fear becoming reality.  _He was a caged bird_. He cried harder.

Life wasn’t fair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Black Hat, you had ONE. JOB. And you fucked it up. (slow claps) 
> 
> Well, hope you guys liked this chapter, it was very fun to write all of the angst. Also, Flug's bio name (Thomasin Mulligan) was based on two things I love: The VVitch (main character's name is Thomasin) and Ed Sheeran (Nancy Mulligan). Just a... fun fact, I guess? Don't know, I feel like you guys should know.
> 
> By the way, there's an excerpt that states: "The list was messy and almost incoherent, but he was used to it (considering his small condition)." What is that 'small condition'? First person to answer correctly will win... uh, I'll think of something. Wow, these notes were bigger than last chapter's. I'm losing my inhibition, y'all.
> 
> See ya.


	3. Troublesome escapade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flug won't just sit down and watch as his freedom is taken away from him. He's going to be free like he's always been, whether Black Hat likes it or not.
> 
> Unfortunately, the runaway doesn't go quite like he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people.
> 
> All I gotta say is that this chapter was shorter in my mind. I wrote roughly 13 pages on Word (font Arial, size 11). I'm not sorry. I'm kinda proud, actually, 'cause I didn't know I could write that much. Hopefully you guys will like this extra-long chapter. 8.000 words. Wow...
> 
> I've also managed to smash shitty romance, humor, drama, action (more or less) and character development all in one chapter. I'm particularly proud of the shitty romance, the humor and the puns.
> 
> See you at the bottom~

_A caged bird..._

Dr. Flug knew he would end up like this at some point of his life. Considering his constant bad luck, he _knew_ someone was bound to find out. He expected it to happen much, much earlier, but with some random rich, influential and powerful stranger, not with his own boss, who he’d trusted his secret with. A small, shy voice in the back of his mind tried to convince him that it wasn’t Black Hat’s fault, that he was being controlled by his alpha desires, and that he probably didn’t mean to say those things, but, if Dr. Flug could control his inner omega, why couldn’t Black Hat, who was more than capable of exploding their whole town in a snap of fingers, do the same? He was an immortal, powerful eldritch horror who could intimidate an entire town and bring them to their knees. _Why couldn’t he control his own biological urges?_ Perhaps he should have known. Yes, this was his fault.

He probably looked pathetic lying in his bed, crying, sitting in a fetal position, hugging a huge pillow and listening to Hatsune Miku. To be honest, he would never admit it to anyone, _ever_ , but he understood Japanese. He’d had classes for lots of difficult foreign languages, because, as the future heir of his father’s company, he was expected to deal with customers from other countries, which meant spending five years of his life learning multiple languages at the same time. Flug never managed to actually learn any of them, except for Japanese and German, which were the only languages he got interested in. While he ended up fluent in Japanese, acing pronunciations and memorizing the entire Katakana and Hiragana syllabaries perfectly, being able to write an entire book with them if he concentrated enough, he didn’t go very far with German, constantly tripping over his words and messing his spelling up (although he was used to that).

Dr. Flug closed his eyes and tried to remember more things from his past, back when he was yet to present as an omega; maybe he would forget about his argument with his boss if he did. The first thing that came to mind was his piano and the daily lessons he took to learn how to play it. He had started very young, probably when he was four, but the harmonic sounds that large object produced when he pressed a few keys in a certain rhythm fascinated him. However, no matter how much he tried to focus, the notes and lines in the music sheet would never stay still. After two years of continuous struggle, Flug learned how to copy his teacher’s movements until he memorized the necessary order of the keys he needed to press to play the song.

It’s been years since he last touched a piano, but he still remembers how to play at least five different songs; too bad he had to stop practicing after running away, but he knew favoring a piano over his safety and sanity was preposterous. After presenting, and before running away from his house for good, Flug used to play the piano as a pastime and a way to relax his nerves. Certain songs always calmed him down; maybe that is why he was currently listening to one of them right now. Sometimes, if he’s too anxious, he taps his fingers on a hard surface, usually the table in his lab, to calm himself down, and pretend he’s playing the piano. People usually think of it as a nervous tic, and Dr. Flug never tried to correct them. He doesn’t want unknown people knowing things from his past. He felt even more nervous now that Black Hat knew his biological name, even if the information was useless without a context.

 _That’s all I can remember, though_ , he thought. He tried to remember anything else, but his memories were a blur of playing the piano, speaking multiple languages, performing poorly in school, being constantly harassed and pressured by his father, learning how to run his business, hiding his secondary gender, spending the night in his friends’ houses after his runaway, and eventually signing a contract to work for Black Hat. “Maybe I’ve spent too much time memorizing piano songs…” He murmured, voice muffled by the pillow, snickering, but he wanted to cry. Remembering those things only reminded him of those horrible and hideous scars scattered around his body and what they meant. Each one of them was a punishment from his father for failing. It didn’t matter the reason he failed, it didn’t matter what he was failing in, it didn’t matter how relevant the thing he failed in was, because Flug wasn’t _allowed_ to fail.

“A Mulligan can never fail.” That phrase was being constantly uttered by his father, every single day and every single minute of his life. It was a constant reminder of the punishments he would eventually receive if he did fail, which was almost always.

He could still picture it perfectly: his old house, cold and unwelcoming as always, a few feet away; his left hand curled into a fist as his right held his math test, marked with an F; the house’s door creaking as he slowly opened it in a vain attempt to be silent; his father, atop of the stairs, staring down at him as if he were a lower being; his father gripping the test in one hand, whip in the other; his father tying him to the old tree in their backyard; his father’s whip running across his back, tearing flesh and skin; the neighbors staring at the scene with wide eyes; the neighbors turning their backs and pretending nothing was happening; him pleading for mercy and promising he would do better next time, knowing he could never keep that promise, knowing that they were empty and would always be.

 _I can’t escape my past, no matter how much I run_ , Flug concluded. Shivering, he tried to focus on the song’s lyrics instead.

 _“If I try to be strong, my lie will be exposed._  
_If I try to get scared, blood will drip._  
_These hidden wounds will reopen._  
_I hate them, they hurt.”_

“Very helpful…” Dr. Flug said to no one in particular, with his face still buried in his pillow, voice dripping with sarcasm. He was no longer wearing the bag in his head, nor was he wearing his goggles; instead, they lied on the bed stand. There was no point in hiding his face. His door was locked, his curtains were closed, and his tears would only soak the paper bag and stain his goggles anyway. Flug had been in there for so long he no longer knew what time it was, but he did know he had stopped crying after a few hours because he had no tears left, just anger and self-pity. Dr. Flug lifted his head and, once his own scent invaded his nostrils, he realized he had forgotten to use another scent blocker. He was positive the smell of distraught omega would no longer leave his room, but he could still make it a positive thing. Black Hat would never step in his room again. He could barely manage with his default scent.

Sighing, he pressed the ‘random’ button on his phone, not wanting to hear that song any longer. He ended up with a song named ‘Nancy Mulligan’, from some guy named Ed Sheeran, and he shuddered at the title after everything hit him. _Can this day get any worse?_ He wondered, listening to the song — it was very romantic and cheerful-sounding. He didn’t even remember downloading this song. Maybe Demencia did; she was always a sucker for romantic stuff. Maybe he’d have to stop by her room to tell her not to mess with his phone… for the tenth time this week. How did she even figure his password out? _Stop thinking, stop thinking, just focus on the song_ , Flug told himself. The song did have an addictive rhythm, he had to admit.

 _“She and I went on the run_  
_Don’t care about religion._  
_I’m gonna marry the woman I love_  
_Down by the Wexford border.”_

Dr. Flug hit the ‘pause’ button, having an epiphany.

 _Go on the run…_ Could he do that? Could he run from that manor and never look back? Flug chuckled, shaking his head. “What a stupid idea…” He told himself, but, deep inside, he felt otherwise. _Something_ (maybe the young, rebel and stupid part of his brain) told him it wasn’t such a stupid idea. Something told him he needed to prove to Black Hat he could survive out there. Second by second, he felt himself getting more and more attracted to the idea, but he tried to resist, coming up with a thousand reasons as to why he should stay. He was almost going mad thinking about it, but, ironically, being kept inside like a rare bird was doing the same. Just pondering about everything that was going on made him stressed. The smell of distraught omega was returning, but Dr. Flug shook it off. His mind was currently divided in two: should I or should I not? He didn’t know which one was winning.

_“What if Black Hat catches me?”  
If you run fast enough, he won’t be able to._

_“What if someone finds my secondary gender out?”  
Kill them or bribe them with sex. Actually, scratch that last part._

_“What if I find a homeless guy who wants to sell me drugs, and, when I refuse, he kidnaps me and sells me to the Yakuza for three magical beans?”  
What the fuck, brain._

_“What if I can’t do this?”  
You can._

_“Why am doing this?”  
Because you’re more than a secondary gender: you’re Flug Slys._

“I’m more than a secondary gender…” Flug repeated, feeling something strange taking over him. He could almost name that feeling… Ah, yes, now he remembered it: _courage_. It’s been so long since he’d last felt genuine courage in his life he didn’t even remember what it was like. He was more than a secondary gender. He was more than an omega. And, more importantly: _he didn’t belong to his boss_. He didn’t belong to _anyone_. He was **free**. The cage was open, and all he had to do was spread his wings and fly. How had he not noticed it before? Dr. Flug leapt from his bed and rushed to the bathroom in his room to take a quick shower. While there, he began planning everything, trying to think of many possibilities and details. He would need to be prepared for every possible scenario.

He couldn’t believe he was doing this. His inner omega was protesting and resisting, trying to convince him to stay and be an obedient little omega like people expected him to be — like _his boss_ expected him to be — but Dr. Flug just _couldn’t_. He wanted to be free. It was a natural human desire, a natural human _right_ , and that right could only be taken if an individual did something illegal, and Flug did nothing more than being born. Well, he did create thousands of devices that probably ended a few lives, but so did the people who fabricate cigarettes, and no one is locking them up, because they didn’t force people to smoke, they did it on their own, just like those who bought the things he invented. Every time he felt wrong for doing those machines, poisons, weapons, everything, he would repeat this to himself. It didn’t make him feel right, but it did make him feel less guilty.

Flug bit his lip and tried to direct his attention to something else. He looked at his arms. “Well, they’re still here… Like always…” He murmured, looking at his scars. They were still hideous as always. For years he had to stop himself from picking the scabs from younger ones and poking at the old, hypertrophic ones, where he lost most of the skin’s sensitivity. His father was never one to give him normal punishments. Most parents would likely force their children to sit in the corner for a few minutes or take away their cellphones, but he whipped him like a disobedient slave instead. Another thing he vividly remembers is that tree in their backyard. His sisters had already accepted it was dead, but Dr. Flug didn’t think so. Deep down, he knew the tree was still alive. Secretly, when everyone else in their house was sleeping, he would go to their backyard with a watering can and pour some water over the tree’s roots.

It was funny, though. That tree constantly reminded him of the punishments he would receive, but he still watered it, talked to it, and fell asleep under it. Perhaps he was just an idiot as a child, or he was way too lonely. “Or maybe, even then, I had the motherly personality omegas usually have…” Strangely, however, he began losing that personality with time. The more his father would whip him, the more he began to lose his happiness, which was replaced with fear. He feared everything: his father, his sisters, the world, whips, and everything else that wasn’t weaker than him (or completely immobile no matter what). After a while, being whipped became more of a routine than a punishment. He stopped feeling the pain. He still kept the facade of being in pain to please his father and stop him from escalating to more serious punishments, but he had lost all sensitivity on his back, and he never got it back.

After he was done with his shower, Flug began drying himself and looked at a nearby mirror. If he applied some make-up, most of his scars wouldn’t even be visible, but he still chose to wear a bag. Sometimes he found himself asking: why? Why did he choose a bag over some make-up? He thought about that question for days when he first began wearing that bag, and only now that he was staring at himself for more than five seconds he found the answer: it wasn’t Flug Slys in that mirror. It was Thomasin Mulligan, his past self, the one he left behind to rot. _It was for the best_ , he told himself. After he was dry, Flug sprayed himself with a scent blocker (because he _knew_ he was going to forget about it later), put on a plain white shirt, jeans, another pair of sneakers, and a jacket. And then there was a small dilemma.

Should he put the bag on or not?

Should he go as Flug Slys or Thomasin Mulligan?

He stared at the paper bag in frustration. Most of the citizens of Hatsville avoided him for a few obvious reasons. He lived in Black Hat’s manor, he worked for Black Hat, he knew Black Hat and lived with him, and he hadn’t died yet (which was a surprise). They had every right to be scared of him. Flug would be scared of himself if he were in their shoes. While being feared was interesting and pleasurable from his villainous side’s point of view, it was somewhat pitiful at the same time. He didn’t want to be avoided. He’d been ignored for too long; by his father, by his sisters, by his friends, by _everyone_. It felt _lonely_. He hated being unable to form proper connections with people because of who he truly was. He was a villain, yes, but he wasn’t a sociopath— not yet, at least. So, the question now was: should he be feared or be ignored? Should he be acknowledged or be disregarded? No one in that town knew who Thomasin Mulligan was. Maybe, just _maybe_ , he could create a new personality, a new Thomasin, one they wouldn’t ignore, and one they wouldn’t _pity_.

Finally, after two minutes of staring at the paper bag in his hands, Flug made a decision. He blinked at the paper bag before tearing it to pieces. “ _No more hiding_.” He spoke with confidence. No, he wasn’t going to hide anymore. He was going to be a new person. He was going to be who he had always been, the person he was always hiding behind a paper bag, Thomasin Mulligan. It wasn’t going to be forever, just for a few hours, and then he would become Flug Slys again. Taking a deep breath, Dr. Flug ran a hand through his (still somewhat wet) hair. He hadn’t done that in a long time. When was the last time he had cut it? He usually tied his hair in a loose bun before putting the paper bag on. His hair wasn’t voluminous by any means, but it was long enough for him to be able to do a small ponytail with it. _Should I do that?_ It was a stupid idea, but, now that he was confident enough to leave that manor when his boss specifically told him not to, he was starting to warm up to stupid ideas. Should he ask Demencia for a hair tie? God, it would be so embarrassing.

 _Wait, I think she left one here when she invaded my room last night as a strange prank_ , he remembered, rummaging through his drawers. She had, in fact, left a hair tie there, and he had kept it in case he needed it. He was imagining needing that hair tie for a more scientific situation but he couldn’t complain. At least it was yellow, not pink, but it had a tiny golden ribbon attached to it. Sighing, he tied his hair in a small, low ponytail. _Well, I’m ready_ , Flug announced mentally to no one in particular. Now all he needed was a few things. First of all, he needed a wallet, because _he was still going to go to that damn supermarket_ whether Black Hat liked it or not, he needed his phone, and he also needed an extra scent blocker as extra precaution, and, besides, those things burned like hell when you sprayed it in one’s eye (he learned this from experience), so it could be a good weapon. He also brought a Swiss army knife, just to be safe. Well, now he was ready.

_Black Hat is going to defenestrate me._

And, truth be told, he didn’t care.

**_.  .  ._ **

At first, Dr. Flug crafted this mega-complicated plan on how to escape the Black Hat manor. First and foremost, he would need a distraction of sorts, so he would dash to his lab and create a bomb that could put everyone but him to sleep, maybe a bomb that humans would be immune to. He would then find all the cameras in the manor and turn them off. After this was done, he would go to his room and place a rope on his window as a way for him to return the manor without being caught by the external cameras, since he didn’t want the neighbors to watch an eighteen-year-old breaking well-placed cameras and overall causing chaos. After it was done, he would grab his phone and put an alarm that was set to go off ten minutes before the bomb’s effects wore off; with ten minutes, he had more than enough time to go back to the manor and pretend nothing ever happened. He would then use the rope to climb back to his room and _done_ : mission accomplished.

In the end, Flug just said “fuck this” and left through the front door.

The town he currently lived in, Hatsville (Flug’s learned not to question names after travelling from town to town during his runaway) was very small, so all (or most) neighbors knew each other. The town was also very peaceful, which was a bonus. Villains rarely tried to attack it, because there wasn’t any benefit in doing so. They preferred to attack bigger cities with banks and large stores, which would get more recognition from the news. They did have a mall and a few small stores (and Walmart), but that was it. Now he understood why Black Hat chose that city, besides the name. Sometimes Dr. Flug wonders if he’s bribed the mayor into changing the town’s name. Considering he was rich, powerful, and feared, it was a possibility. Flug sighed, trying to focus on something else. The weather was pleasant that day. The sun was barely visible, hidden in the clouds, which was a good thing: that meant he wouldn’t get sunburned and regretful in the end.

“Hey, kiddo, who are ya?” A voice asked from behind him. Flug stiffened; he knew that voice all too well. Slowly turning around, he looked down. In front of him was a petite old lady, holding a hose, long white hair in a tight bun, adjusting her glasses, hunching forward, wearing the same outfit as always. Instead of answering the question, Dr. Flug was tempted to ask if this was the only outfit she owned. This was Adelle Kaltenbach, a nice but opinionated old beta lady who lived right next to the Black Hat manor. Her husband died years before Dr. Flug was born and she never had any children (“Kids ruin _yer_ life. I should know: I was one of ‘em and I was a lil’ shit!” She often said). Adelle never seemed intimidated by him, or Black Hat, or _anyone_. She was probably too old to give a shit. Also, despite being a beta, she was capable of scaring even the mightiest alpha.

“Um…” Flug tried to think of a quick answer. _Just stick to the plan,_ he told himself. “I’m just a passerby, don’t mind me. My name is Thomasin, by the way. Uh, it’s nice to meet you.” Adelle briefly narrowed her eyes in suspicion, making him tense up for a second, before nodding and patting his arm (as it was the highest she could reach).

“You’re handsome, kiddo. Don’t waste _yer_ time ‘n beauty in this miserable place. Go to Vegas.” Dr. Flug stared at her with wide eyes, surprised with the sudden compliment. Adelle never noticed it (or, if she did, she didn’t show it) and started walking back to her house. However, she stopped midway through and turned to Flug, who was already walking away, still somewhat shocked. “Oh, and stay away from this house; the guy who lives here is a crazy bitch!” She yelled while pointing to the manor he’d just escaped from, before entering her house, closing the door harshly. Flug was trying his hardest not to laugh. Adelle had always been a very honest person, and she was always very honest about the paper bag he usually wore. She didn’t like not being able to see his face, and was always trying to convince him to take it off whenever he bumped into her (mostly at the market).

He was caught off guard by her compliment, however. Dr. Flug was always extremely conscious about his appearance, and how people would react to it. Of course, he didn’t know if Adelle’s opinion counted or not, since she was beginning to show a few symptoms of… non-sanity. He should forget about it. “Hmm, how strange, the town’s awfully quiet today…” He wondered out loud, scanning the almost empty town, seconds before a stampede of citizens came rushing towards his direction, hitting and pushing each other like wild animals. Dr. Flug pressed himself against a wall so he wouldn’t be dragged away or stomped to death. What the heck was happening? That town was just so peaceful. It was unnatural for them to act like this. _What day is it?_ Maybe some store was having a clearance sale…

Shrugging it off, he just kept walking. He took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill his lungs. “This is how being free feels like…” He whispered, not being able to stifle a smile. How had he not stopped to appreciate this feeling before? Perhaps being free had just become too normal for him. He knows people only start appreciating things when they lose them. Flug checked the time in his phone after turning around the corner, narrowing his eyes. 4:42 pm. He had been outside for about three minutes. “Three whole minutes, huh? And nothing unlucky has happened to me yet.” He spoke, putting his phone back in his jacket’s pocket. Usually something bad would happen to him as soon as he stepped outside. It was one of the unwritten rules of the universe. He hadn’t been deemed ‘the unluckiest person ever’ for nothing… Maybe today would be different. Maybe nothing unlucky would happen to h—

“Watch out, innocent civilian!” Someone yells. He comes to a halt, trying to find the source of the scream.

A car then flies past Dr. Flug, barely hitting him, and colliding against a building nearby, causing bricks and dust to fly everywhere.

A. Fucking. **_Car_**.

Dr. Flug stiffened, thunderstruck, his heart skipping a beat. Had he just almost been hit by a random flying car? Good luck, indeed. “I spoke too soon.” He stated while eyeing the large hole the car had left on the building. What the fuck had caused this? He looked to his left and up, where the car had come from. A big muscular man was floating above, wearing a ridiculous suit (cape included), sporting a stupid haircut and making a random pose. At his side was another man, younger and smaller, also floating and with the same ridiculous suit, but thankfully with a more socially acceptable haircut. _Superheroes…?_ It was a possibility, considering they were flying (which isn’t a very normal thing) and were dressed like two drunkards from the 90s. _Typical of superheroes nowadays, always choosing flashing outfits,_ Flug thought in dismay (for how low society’s standards were) before seeking cover. He chose to invade the now almost destroyed building, peeking through the hole the car had opened.

“Your days of villainy have come to an end, Doctor Evil!” The older man bellowed, dramatically pointing a finger at the person he was supposedly fighting. _Doctor Evil? Is that seriously the best name they could come up with?_ Flug thought, wondering if he had accidentally walked into a portal to a sitcom or something. He analyzed his surroundings, trying to find this ‘Doctor Evil’. Ah, there he was, using a jetpack to be able to fly. The villain did not seem to have any fashion sense either, considering he was basically plagiarizing Megamind’s suit design, only missing the blue skin and bald head— on the contrary, he had long, ‘mad scientist’-like hair. “Surrender before this fight escalates to something much more serious.”

“Never!” Doctor Evil shouted, before pointing a gun at the two heroes. Flug’s eyes widened. He’d seen that gun before. Now that he thought about it, it was obvious: he had created that gun himself a few weeks before. Black Hat had told him to create a gun that could levitate items easily. Dr. Flug was quite disappointed to know weeks of arduous testing were spent creating that gun, and _this_ was the villain using it. Potential had been spent. He watched as the main superhero knocked Doctor Evil down without even trying and then smashed the gun into pieces. He felt like he should have cared, but Flug was dead inside at this point. Eventually, once the citizens heard the fight was over, they started gathering around the two unknown heroes.

“People of Hatsville—” the older one started, clearing his throat to get everyone’s attention. “—, from now on, I, Captain Justice, and my sidekick, Phantom, will be this town’s new heroes, and we will protect you from every villain who tries to threaten this place! Any questions?” The citizens were jittery, murmuring and staring at each other in confusion. A few questions rose, but they were too confusing and unanswerable, especially since everyone was talking at the same time. Finally, Dr. Flug walked up to them, wiping the dust away from his clothes. He could smell Captain Justice’s alpha scent — it was way too obvious — alongside Phantom’s, but there was something… _off_ with the latter’s scent.

“I have a question!” He proclaimed, raising his hand. Captain Justice turned to face him. “Who’s going to pay for that?” And then he pointed at the large hole in the building he’d just come out of with a straight face. Captain Justice quailed.

“Oh, um— _oh_ , look at the time! We need to attend, uh, a superhero reunion. Really important stuff. Come on, Phantom.” He nudged Phantom’s side as they both flew away, leaving Dr. Flug and the rest of the citizens confused.

**_.  .  ._ **

If he could, Black Hat would dig a hole and die there.

He was embarrassed, to say the least. He didn’t want to act that way.  It wasn’t him: it was his inner alpha, who wanted nothing more than to protect that fragile little omega. Black Hat knew for a fact that Dr. Flug wasn’t innocent or gullible, much less _fragile_ , and was more than capable of protecting himself. He was a fully-grown adult who didn’t need or want an aggressive alpha on his tail, controlling his life and making decisions for him. _No one_ wants that. Heck, if someone tried to tell Black Hat what to do with his life, even with good intentions, he would rip them apart limb for limb and carry on with his day. He could understand Dr. Flug’s frustrations, constantly being treated like a precious stone rather than a person with feelings and desires. He could understand everything about it. He could write an entire essay on the subject, having lived for so many centuries…

And yet, Black Hat couldn’t convince his inner alpha to let him go.

He knew it was hopeless; the thought of losing Flug, of him belonging to another alpha, of him simply talking to another alpha… It made him want to raise hell. It really did. He couldn’t help it. He could control it, but couldn’t get those sickening thoughts from his head. Every time he saw Dr. Flug interacting with other people, mostly costumers, he felt the need to push them aside and tell him to go to the lab. At first, he never understood why he felt like this. Black Hat lied to himself, saying he didn’t want Flug embarrassing him in front of the customers, but that was all that was: a lie. He wanted to protect him from the world. When he heard Flug say he was going to get more groceries, thousands of possible scenarios played in his mind, each one worse than the previous one. He could be drugged, raped, kidnapped… Black Hat acted on impulse by stopping him and locking him away.

Dr. Flug was an unmarked, unmated, untouched young omega. He was rarer than a goddamn unicorn. Black Hat didn’t want to risk him being taken away just for the sake of groceries. He could easily hire someone to do that while Flug stayed under his watch. Of course, he was imagining the possibility of a runaway— no, he was _expecting_ it. So, when it happened, he was less than surprised. Was he discontented? Definitely, but he wasn’t surprised. He really wanted to hunt his scientist down and tie him to a chair, but Black Hat resisted. He resisted and relented. Instead, he decided to stroll around the manor, stopping in front of Flug’s laboratory. His scent had faded, thankfully. Black Hat casually stepped inside, looking around.

Dr. Flug’s lab wasn’t the most organized of places. There were various blueprints scattered around the floor, pieces of metal here and there, and lots of pots containing unknown material inside. On top of his table was a small note. Black Hat picked it up. The note was almost unreadable. First of all, his handwriting was hideous. Second, he constantly repeated certain words, and misspelled others. Third, he managed to confuse a ‘b’ with a ‘d’ and even a ‘p’. Fourth, where was the punctuation? Fifth, the spacing between words was uneven. Black Hat didn’t know his best employee, a brilliant scientist with great potential, could write so… _horribly_. It’s like he didn’t even try. Perhaps he hadn’t had enough sleep, or maybe, just maybe, it was _something else_. There was a way he could test that out.

Yes, that would keep him occupied for a while.

**_.  .  ._ **

Dr. Flug was currently sitting on a bench in a park, watching a few children running around and playing tag while he played some random mini-game on his phone. Sometimes he wished he would’ve done that in his childhood. He’d wasted it with foreign language and piano lessons, besides years of stress with school. No matter how many times he told himself he would let go of his past there was always something that would remind him of it. Flug saw someone walking towards him out of the corner of his eye, but decided to ignore it. When they sat on the same bench, out of all empty benches around them, he still ignored them, focusing on his phone’s game instead. He didn’t notice the stranger leaning against his ear, or the alpha scent getting stronger and stronger. “Hey, cutie,” the voice purred. Flug yelped, jumping a bit, almost dropping the phone he held in his hands. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” The stranger apologized. Dr. Flug shot him a glare and his stomach dropped for a second.

“Oh, it’s you…” He trailed off, watching as the stranger raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“You know me?”

“You’re that mediocre superhero from a few minutes ago. Uh, it’s Phantom, right?” Flug asked.

“That’s right. Wait— mediocre?” Phantom questioned as Dr. Flug simply shrugged, continuing to play with his phone. He kind of wanted to apologize for being rude, an automatic reaction from his damned inner omega, but he wasn’t his normal ‘shy and self-conscious scientist’ self, he was Thomasin, a new person. He shouldn’t act like Dr. Flug when he wasn’t Dr. Flug. He kept the facade. “Well, I’ll have you know, mister, that I’m nowhere near mediocre. I’m faster than a falcon, stronger than an elephant, mightier than a lion, prettier than a peacock, and more intelligent than a dolphin!” He bragged with a smug grin. Flug blinked, focusing on his game. So far he was regretting having left that damn manor. He should’ve heard Black Hat and stayed inside, eating ice cream and listening to Hatsune Miku. Perhaps he should wipe that smirk off Phantom’s face.

“What’s the Pythagorean Theorem?” He asked nonchalantly. If he was smarter than a dolphin (because this was a valid comparison, apparently), then he would be able to answer this easily. Phantom paused for a second, thinking about the answer and putting a hand on his chin to emphasize that.

“That’s a snake, right?” He guessed. Flug visibly winced.

“I said Pythagorean, not _Python_.”

“Alright, alright, I may not be as smart as I claim to be, but I’m still charming.” Phantom declared with a grin, scooting closer to Dr. Flug, who resisted the urge to crawl away. “Anyway, what brings you here, cutie?” His left eye twitched from the annoying pet name (if he weren’t so patient he would’ve broken this guy’s leg), but he focused on his game, trying to give Phantom as little attention as possible.

“I ran away from home...” Should he even call it ‘home’? Black Hat’s manor felt more like a prison now. Biting his lower lip, Flug put his phone in one of his pockets. Playing that game was giving him a headache already.

“I can understand you. Strict parents, eh?” Phantom elbowed his side gently. Dr. Flug really, really wanted to correct him but he wasn’t feeling like it. Besides, the thought of Black Hat as a parent amused him. He could only imagine Black Hat yelling at his children and— oh, God, his children looked exactly like him. He couldn’t handle it. Imagining two mini Black Hats sneaking away ‘James Bond’ style without laughing proved itself to be harder than Dr. Flug had imagined. A small chuckle was threatening to become a full-blown laughing fit. He was almost crying trying to hold his laughter. “Uh, are you okay?” Phantom asked with worry. Flug was most definitely not okay.

“I-I’m dying.” He wheezed, trying to recompose himself. Phantom still showed some signs of worry. “U-um, so, why are _you_ here?”

“I’ll answer this with another question: are you from Japan?” Flug blinked again.

“No—” He answered cautiously, but was cut off.

“—because I want to get in _Ja-pan_ ts.” Phantom completed it with a wink.

There was only silence. Dr. Flug didn’t know what to say, but the man seemed pretty proud of that pick-up line, if his smirk didn’t give it away. He really wanted to be embarrassed for Phantom, because the man clearly didn’t have any experience and got the phrase from Google or something.

“… Are you h-hitting on me?”

“Depends…” Phantom eyed him closely. “Is it working?” _No._

“It was the most _alpha_ tethic attempt I’ve ever seen.” Dr. Flug responded briskly without even thinking. _Oh my God, I’m turning into one of them_ , he thought with wide eyes, clutching the phone in his pocket with his left hand as if his life depended on it. He didn’t even realize what he had said until the words left his mouth. In any other situation he wouldn’t even think of using puns or pick-up lines, but, considering he wasn’t Dr. Flug but rather Thomasin, that meant he was turning into another person, a person who wasn’t afraid of making lame puns. _Thomasin is going to be the lamest alter-ego in history_ , Flug thought bitterly. He was really hoping his second self would be something he couldn’t be as Black Hat’s scientist and an omega, but _no_ , he had to be a pun-maker. Was it too late to take that back?

“Alright, _that_ was a good one.” Phantom admitted, crossing his arms. Apparently that was a ‘yes’. “Speaking of alphas, what’s your secondary gender? You don’t seem to have a scent, cutie.” Dr. Flug tensed at the mention of secondary genders. He hated the subject, and he hated how it was thrown around so casually. What he hated the most was that if he was honest about his secondary gender, he would be taken away without a chance of defense. Flug couldn’t let that happen, so he tried to change the subject.

“W-wait, so, you don’t even know my name and you’re already asking about my secondary gender? Talk about priorities…”

“Well, if you insist… What is your name?”

“Thomasin Davison.” He lied, trying to be as convincing as possible. ‘Davison’ was an old friend’s surname, and the first thing he could think of. Was it reckless of him to reveal so much information to a stranger who was hitting on him? Yes, it definitely was. Was it worth it? No, it wasn’t. In fact, if he came out of this whole and with _some_ dignity, he would never leave that manor again, because, if he did, he could possibly bump into Phantom again, and that wouldn’t be pleasant. Perhaps he should do some small talk and then create a half-assed excuse and leave. “What about yours? Your real one, I mean, not your superhero name.”

“Sorry, cutie, but a superhero doesn’t reveal his identity.” He poked the tip of Dr. Flug’s nose with his index finger, and the former tried not to bite his finger off. _I shouldn’t have left that manor_ , he lamented. “But I can tell you that I am one of the bravest alphas you’ll ever meet.” It seemed like Phantom couldn’t go five minutes without bragging about his abilities. Dr. Flug despised that. As if Black Hat wasn’t enough…

“Uh, sure…” Flug wasn’t so sure about that. There was something off about him and his scent. It felt so… synthetic. It was like his scent was fake, but perhaps he was imagining things. Was he, though? Flug usually felt intimidated by any alpha that approached him, and he didn’t feel intimidated by Phantom. On the contrary, he just felt annoyed instead. “So, uh, it was somewhat nice to meet you, but I have to go now…” He got up and started to walk away when Phantom suddenly grabbed his wrist. Flug flinched and pulled his arm away harshly, watching as the superhero raised an eyebrow in confusion. It was a knee-jerk reaction. Being pulled by his wrist brought back bad memories. He had to restrain himself when Black Hat did it.

“Sorry. Uh, before you go, I need your help. I think I lost my number, can I have yours?” Dr. Flug sighed. He wanted to deny the request, but he was too tired to care. Hastily grabbing his phone from his pocket he browsed around in search for his contact list and, when he found it, he handed the phone to Phantom.

“Register this number.” He nodded, doing it quickly, and then giving Flug his phone back. He felt like he was going to regret this decision afterwards. “Uh, goodbye...” He said awkwardly, already walking away, before his phone started ringing. Mentally groaning, wondering who the heck was calling him, he answered his phone. “Hello?” He asked.

 _“Just making sure you didn’t give me the wrong number.”_ Phantom’s voice came from the other side of the line. Flug turned around, eyeing the other man who was holding his phone to his ear, grinning. Rolling his eyes, the scientist ended the call and dashed from that place without uttering a single word or expecting a response from Phantom. As he turned around the corner, Flug came to a conclusion:

_The universe is actively trying to kill me._

**_.  .  ._ **

He didn’t know what time it was.

Dr. Flug was exhausted. His feet were aching, his head was throbbing and his eyes were burning, but he was alive, at least, and he hadn’t been taken away by the government or kidnapped by a homeless man either. He had gone to the supermarket to get more groceries, like he promised, and he managed to get an extra paper bag. Using his Swiss army knife he opened two holes for his eyes and put it on. Even if he was Thomasin Davison out there, he was still Flug Slys inside that manor. He felt wrong admitting he preferred being just Dr. Flug after everything he went through. Flug made his way to the kitchen, ignoring 5.0.5 who was cleaning the manor (with his maid uniform), to put the groceries away. He didn’t even acknowledge Demencia’s presence. “What’s in there?” She asked, grabbing the bag of groceries from the counter and peeking inside.

“Groceries,” Dr. Flug answered, snatching the bag from her hands. “Don’t touch it.” He was tired and irritable. His plan of freedom didn’t go like he wanted it to. Instead of enjoying his freedom, he was almost stomped to death, hit by a flying car, caught in the middle of a villain-superhero fight, harassed by one of those superheroes, and he stupidly _gave him_ his number. It was a miracle he was still alive and whole and sane.

“Oh, Blackie wants to see you in his office!” Demencia told him. Flug resisted the urge to bang his head against the counter. He just wanted to go to bed and forget that day ever happened. What else could Black Hat want? He started heading towards his boss’s office as he heard Demencia say: “He’s just _so_ amazing, and his scent…” He didn’t want to hear it. This whole mess started with him in the first place. If Black Hat hadn’t tried to keep Flug in the house he wouldn’t have escaped and gotten himself in that mess. He hadn’t realized he was already at the end of the hallway, Black Hat’s office right in front of him. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

“Come in, doctor.” Black Hat’s rough voice commanded from the other side of the door. Flug wondered if he should’ve gotten his goggles first. He didn’t need them to see, they protected his eyes from the substances in his laboratory and the obnoxious daylight, but he felt somewhat incomplete without them. Flug opened the door, deciding to forget about his goggles for now. He shivered slightly; the knob was cold. He never noticed that before, for he was always wearing gloves. Black Hat was sitting in his chair, like usual, but he had something in his hands. His expression was unreadable. Dr. Flug was ready to explain himself, his runaway, the new heroes, everything (leaving a few details out, like the “I gave my phone number to a complete stranger” part).

“Sir, I can ex—”

“Save your words, Dr. Flug.” Black Hat interrupted, standing up from his chair and stopping in front of Flug, who felt very small in front of his boss. Ah, there it was, the intimidation he usually felt around alphas. He hadn’t felt that intimidation around Phantom. How strange… “I will address your little escapade later, but, for now, I have another issue to discuss with you.” He handed the item he was holding to Flug, who picked it awkwardly. It was a letter. “Read this letter out loud.” Dr. Flug processed his boss’s order, and then his stomach dropped. He stared at the letter hopelessly, expecting a solution to fall out of the sky. “We don’t have all day, Dr. Flug. Do I have to alpha command you?”

“ ** _No!_** ” Flug yelled, before a hand flew to his mouth, eyes wide. “I-I’m sorry, sir, I…” He apologized, staring at his own feet in shame. Had Black Hat just threatened him with the alpha command? Was he really taking advantage of his omega status? Dr. Flug didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t know why it sounded so unbelievable, honestly. Black Hat was known for using opportunities to his advantage, this would be no different. His boss was getting impatient.

“Read. The. Letter.”

“Y-yes, sir…” Flug stuttered, opening the letter and trying to find the beginning. The words immediately started acting out, worsening his headache. “D-deer… ear… _dear_ B-Black… at… ah… uh…” He narrowed his eyes, trying to focus on the letters and what they meant. He was nervous, and that made matters worse. His hands were shaking, but he paid no attention to that. “I-It’s… bean— _been_ … It’s been a… a lounge… lon… no, a _long_ … li… no, no, time… s… since… team… no, wait—” Did he skip something? The rest didn’t make sense. Ah, yes, he skipped three words. “Since w-we… we lost… l-lost… w… talked…” He was getting worse. Flug could feel Black Hat’s stare burning a hole through his soul. “Sides… sent… so…” _Crap, I just skipped two paragraphs_. The tension was rising. Black Hat growled before snatching the letter from his hands. Dr. Flug yelped at the sudden interruption.

Black Hat analyzed the letter again.

_Dear Black Hat,_

_It’s been a long time since we’ve last talked. Time quickly goes by, doesn’t it? Perhaps we should reunite again, and I have the perfect opportunity. I will be throwing a masquerade ball in two days, and it would be an honor to invite you and your employees. Besides, I need to present you to someone._

_Call me if you accept my humble request. I will be waiting. You know my number._

_—Sincerely, Amadeus Hunter._

 

“Care to explain?” He asked, eyeing his employee who was fidgeting under his glare.

“I’m sorry…” He muttered.

“I don’t want apologies, I want an explanation.” Flug looked at his feet, murmuring something. “Speak out loud, doctor!” Black Hat demanded, taking a step forward, looming over the scientist. “It’s disappointing to find out my top employee is _fucking illiterate_!” Flug shrunk half his size, trembling. Black Hat was going to bash him even more, trying to get something out, but he saw Flug lift his head to look at him in the eyes. He hadn’t noticed he didn’t have his goggles on, and found himself staring into Flug’s blue eyes, filled with fear and shame.

“I-I’m not illiterate, I s-swear!” He stammered out. “I… I’m dyslexic…” Black Hat hummed with evident displeasure.

“Were you planning on telling me, doctor?” Dr. Flug paused for a few seconds before shaking his head. “I see.” He was waiting for his boss to lash him out, but nothing came. “An old friend of mine has invited me to a masquerade ball. He’s also invited you and Demencia. The ball is in two days. Because I know you won’t be able to take care of yourselves, considering you two are bloody idiots, you will be coming with me. The bear will stay. Now go to your room and do not leave until I tell you to. If you do, there will be serious consequences. This is your punishment for escaping.” Flug nodded, somewhat thankful. He was getting way too worked up for his own good. As his hand hovered above the knob, he heard Black Hat say:

“Oh, and, Dr. Flug, one more thing: if you escape one more time I will hunt you down and drag you back here myself. Trust me, it won’t be pleasant.” Flug nodded, gulping, leaving the room hastily and closing the door behind him, before allowing himself to breathe. He was still alive. Black Hat hadn’t killed him. He _had_ killed his hopes of hiding his dyslexia, but it was still better than spending a lifetime in hell. He did wonder how his boss found out. Perhaps he’d found the list he made last night? That seemed plausible. He slowly made his way to his bedroom and fell on his bed. The smell of distraught omega still lingered. Flug took the paper bag off, buried his face in his pillow and groaned. No amount of Hatsune Miku songs were going to make him forget this horrible day.

The universe was, indeed, actively trying to kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanons:
> 
> \- Flug likes Vocaloid. Half of his song playlist is composed of Vocaloid songs.  
> \- He's really good at the piano, but his dyslexia prevents him from learning how to play the songs, so he's learned how to copy people instead.  
> \- He has a strange fear of the Yakuza.  
> \- He does watch anime without subtitles. He did watch Boku no Pico. He does regret it. (don't watch this please)
> 
> Just some notes :P yes, people, Phantom is going to be a prominent character in this story, and, yes, I will develop his personality further, but for now he's a conceited idiot with good intentions. Adelle isn't going to be important but she will appear more in this fanfic as a background character. And yes, Captain Justice will also be an important part of this, but we don't know much about his personality... for now. We also learn more about Flug's backstory, ooh~ his plans of creating an alter ego go down the drain :P Also, I love the flying car part. I wanted to include this ever since I started this fanfic. Here are the songs mentioned in this fanfic:
> 
> Song 1: Mind Brand (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSQN8nxgHa4). I LOVE this song, it's a beautiful NSFW masterpiece. EDIT: Changed the link since the first was a cover and not the original.
> 
> Song 2: Nancy Mulligan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFlZXlfda6Y). My friend suggested this song to me. I got addicted. I want to punch her in the face.
> 
> Oh, and no, next chapter will not be about the ball, it'll be about... something else (nothing lewd I promise... kinda)  
> ... Anyway, hope you guys liked it. My vacation is three days away, I'm so pumped.
> 
> Extra: in case you guys can't picture how my version of Flug looks like, he looks like Len from this video in terms of hairstyle (but just hairstyle and nothing else): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl3vBeuyZ3Q
> 
> Edit: changed the last video because Len's Children's War hairstyle is more fitting.


	4. Golden Boy is typing...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phantom decides to start texting Dr. Flug. It went surprisingly well... 
> 
> For ten minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My vacations are here~
> 
> I have two free weeks to do whatever I want, but the downside is that my bathroom's being rebuilt so I now have to shower in my grandma's house and it sucks. Anyway, today we have a small conversation between Phantom and Flug via text. Very romantic, ooh~
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this chapter, it's not as long as the last one but eh.

_Her name was Rosa Rivera._

_She was intelligent, kind, funny, witty, and absolutely gorgeous; she often made up for her flaws — such as impatience, clumsiness, trust issues and accidental insensitivity — with flower puns and chocolate cookies she baked herself; sometimes she also baked muffins and brownies, trying different recipes each week — most would end up successfully, while others would end up in food poisoning. Sometimes Thomasin would stare at Rosa for an unsettling amount of time, trying to figure out whether she was a goddess sent from above or not. At first he harbored a hopeless crush on her, trying his best to hide any signs, but it began to fade as he accepted their friendship and friendship only. He was suspecting she was a beta, and omegas couldn’t form romantic relationships with betas; it was almost impossible and socially reprehensible. They could try, but he was unwilling to risk his safety for it._

_Rosa was one of his first and closest friends, and she had always been there for him when he needed. She helped Thomasin with his homework and assisted him with his dyslexia, telling him to focus on the words and their individual meanings, and what their importance was to the phrase he was reading. In return, he would teach her how to speak Japanese and write Katakana (using the method of concentration she taught him). She would often invite him to her house, where they would watch movies and have pillow fights. He often had to be sneaky, because his father was always on his tail. They had a harmonic relationship, besides having many things in common. They knew each other’s fears, dreams and aspirations. The two were inseparable. Thomasin was Rosa’s best friend, and she was his._

_Rosa was being raised by her grandmother. Her grandparents were illegal immigrants from Mexico, and her parents were in jail for selling drugs and assaulting a police officer while on the run. Her grandfather was nowhere to be seen, having seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. She appeared to despise them all (except for her grandmother, who was the sweetest old lady Thomasin and everyone knew), and he couldn’t help but relate. “I guess we both hate our families and their associates.” She stated during recess, nibbling on a cookie. “So that’s another thing we have in common, Kim…” Rosa pointed out, wiping the remaining crumbs from her dress, while he nodded, watching other kids running after each other, knowing he had to control himself; his father would reprehend him so much if he played like them..._

_“Kim?” Rosa shook his shoulder lightly, snapping him from his trance. “You were spacing out. What’s on your mind?” She questioned, following his gaze, eyeing the other kids playing around. Thomasin sighed, biting his cheek._

_“Sometimes I wish I could be a normal child. You know, play tag and hide-and-seek, but I can’t…” He lamented. Rosa blinked._

_“We can do that today at my house, if you want.” She offered. Thomasin looked at her and smiled apologetically._

_“I’m not in the mood… Thanks for the offer, though…” Rosa nodded._

_“Iiyo!” She answered cheerfully, as Thomasin chuckled at the random Japanese word thrown around so casually. “… That’s how you say it, right?” She asked, insecure, making him laugh. The fact that she didn’t even know what she was saying was hilarious. “What? Why are you laughing? Did I say something wrong? Oh my God, Kim, what did I say? Come on, tell me!” She demanded, shaking his shoulder even harder than before. He laughed even more at her distress, making Rosa much more nervous than before. “I swear, Kim, if I said anything inappropriate, I’m selling you to the Yakuza.” She threatened with narrowed eyes, shutting him up for good._

_For a long time, they thought they would stay together forever, and they really believed that, but something happened, something that lingered in the corners of his mind. He could point even the most insignificant of details out if he tried hard enough to remember them._

_It was a hot summer day. Their summer vacation was less than a week away. Thomasin eyed the sociology teacher in boredom, tapping his fingers on the desk while waiting for the class to end. There were only three minutes left. Rosa was at his side, diligently taking notes. Her long curly brown hair was tied in a neat ponytail. Sociology was his least favorite class. A few students were murmuring and others were talking loudly to each other. The professor spun around after having finished writing everything he needed on the whiteboard. “And this is everything you need to know about Karl Marx. Do you have any questions?” The room full of sixth-graders fell silent. “I will take that as a no.” He glanced at the clock. “Oh, class is over already? Well, don’t forget to bring your homework next Wednesday.” Gathering his things, the teacher left the room._

_While they waited for their English teacher to arrive, Thomasin turned to Rosa with the intention of asking for her to pass him the notes later that day, but he noticed her sudden discomfort. She was fidgeting in her seat, touching her neck ever so slightly. Upon noticing his glare, she loosened her shirt’s collar, sighing. “My neck feels weird.” She whispered to him, and only him. She didn’t want to bother anyone else. Their other friends — Otto, Felicia, and Donovan — were surely going to ask, and they weren’t exactly the most secretive people in the school. Thomasin nodded, analyzing her neck, trying to find something like a mosquito bite, but there was nothing there._

_“Maybe it’s a neck spasm.” He suggested, but Rosa shook her head._

_“It doesn’t hurt, it just feels weird. I don’t know how to describe it.” She explained, biting her lower lip. The fact that she couldn’t put her discomfort in words made her anxious. Thomasin opened his mouth to suggest one more thing, something that made perfect sense, but his eyes widened as a sweet scent of chocolate and vanilla invaded his nostrils. “What? What is it? Thomasin, why are you making that face?” She inquired, now getting even more nervous, gripping his shoulder. He took her hand. This couldn’t be happening… not here, not now. Was Rosa just as unlucky as him? He didn’t like thinking about it. He had to make a decision for both of them, and fast._

_“We need to get out of here.”_

_Quite unfortunately, they didn’t have enough time. The scent was already spreading around the room at an alarming rate. “Rosa, you presented…” Thomasin whispered to her, with wide eyes, clutching her hand like his life depended on it. He needed to tell her, no matter how much it pained him to do so. Rosa wanted to speak, but couldn’t find any words. “ **You’re an omega**.” He choked out, trying to be as quiet as possible. For a whole minute it had been just the two of them in that classroom, staring into each other’s eyes. Rosa gaped at him, heart skipping a beat, not wanting to believe it. She knew how omegas were treated. Her paternal grandmother, Alejandra Rivera, had told her about an old friend, called Joel Garcia, who was violently taken away after presenting as an omega, never to be seen or heard again, and she told Rosa how much she missed him every day. She wasn’t expecting to have the same destiny as Joel, but it seemed like the universe had made its decision. _

_It hurt._

_Perhaps she should just accept it. “I guess this is the end…” She spoke softly with a fake smile. Rosa wanted to cry, but she held the sadness back. She didn’t want to go down like this, bawling her eyes out like a little child. She wanted to be taken away with some dignity, like the proud girl she once was. Thomasin’s chest tightened upon hearing this. What was she saying? Was she just going to give up like that? Was she just going to stand there and accept her unfortunate fate? “I’m glad I met you, Kim.”_

_“Rosa…” He didn’t know what to say. He had no words. His mind went blank. Some students were already eyeing her with suspicion; others were staring in desire. Thomasin wanted to sucker punch all of them. They weren’t allowed to stare at her like this, so… lustfully. He was so distracted and angry hadn’t noticed the English teacher on the doorway, watching the scene in confusion and indecision, not knowing whether she should intervene or not. She didn’t know what was going on. “I… I can’t… No…” He couldn’t stand it. The whispers, the giggles, the hums, the stares, the grins, the frowns, every act his classmates did, he couldn’t stand them. With a growl, he banged on his desk with a fist. “Come with me.” Thomasin stated shakily as he stood up and bolted from the classroom, bumping against the teacher in the process and heading towards the bathrooms, never looking back._

_“Mr. Mulligan, what is happening?” The English teacher yelled, but her voice was already far away. “Mrs. Rivera—” He paused, thinking she would catch Rosa and figure everything out, but his friend cut the teacher off._

_“I’m sorry, Mrs. Smith, but this is important.” She explained as quickly as possible before following her friend, and the two began to run together. “Where are we going, Kim?” The girl asked, staring at Thomasin in the eye._

_“Bathrooms,” he responded hastily before turning around the corner, with Rosa doing the same, almost slipping on the recently-polished floors. “Here!” He announced, coming to a halt, barging into one of the bathrooms, turning the lights on, letting Rosa in, and closing the door behind them. They both sighed in relief at the same time as he leaned against the door and slid down to the floor. Rosa mimicked him. The two sat together in silence for what seemed like an eternity as her scent spread around. If Thomasin were an alpha, he would’ve already tackled her to the floor; if he were a beta, he would feel mildly attracted by her scent; but he was an omega, and didn’t feel bothered in the slightest. He could only feel fear._

_“Why are we here, Kim?” Rosa finally asked, breaking the silence. Thomasin stirred, already growing accustomed to it._

_“We’re hiding.” He explained, looking around. The bathroom was smaller than he previously thought. The walls were white and the place smelled like lavender (probably from the recently-used cleaning products). There was a toilet at the end of the bathroom, with a toilet paper roll on top of the tank cover and a sink right next to it. The lights flickered for a few seconds, making the two look up. Thomasin saw Rosa shift next to him. He was ready to ask if she was okay, but she was faster._

_“We can’t hide forever.” She stated matter-of-factly, seconds before they heard three knocks on the door._

_“Mr. Mulligan, Mrs. Rivera, your teacher has asked you to return to the classroom immediately.” A familiar voice ordered. It was one of the janitors. The two children exchanged glances, hesitating, before the girl nodded, encouraging him to get this over with. Thomasin blinked. This wasn’t the Rosa Rivera. She wasn’t one to give up so easily. What was happening to the girl he once knew? Slowly, the two rose from the cold floor as he cautiously unlocked the door, unhurriedly opening it. The janitor wasn’t there anymore. He raised an eyebrow, addled, carefully stepping outside and raising a hand, knowing Rosa understood this as a signal for her to stay inside the bathroom. As he took a step further, he was roughly shoved aside, making him fall to the floor._

_“Get the girl!” An unknown man dressed in a black suit ordered. Thomasin stiffened as his head spun and his back ached from the fall. He could see a few more men to his left, but they were all a blurry mess of black and white. His heart was hammering inside his chest, making him unable to think properly._

_“Let me go!” Rosa’s familiar voice rang in his head. “Kim! Kim, help me!” She pleaded, as he saw another stranger handcuffing her. She struggled in his hold, eyes full of fear and panic. She wasn’t expecting the process to be so violent. She didn’t want this. Her dignity was being taken from her second by second. The scent of distraught omega was more than noticeable at this point, and he saw a few alphas (he knew they were alphas by their scent) squirm where they stood, trying to control themselves. Thomasin stared at them in utter disgust. Rosa was twelve, and they seemed old enough to be able to pass off as her parents. “Kim!” She yelled again, resisting, but they were stronger, and she was slowly dragged away._

_“Rosa!” Thomasin yelled, jumping up and running after her. He wanted to tell them he was an omega, just so he could be taken away as well and stay by Rosa’s side, but he knew he couldn’t. He promised he wouldn’t tell anyone about his secondary gender, which left him with only one option: fight them. “Leave her alone!” He bellowed, extending a hand to reach her, when someone held him back. The boy yelped in surprise as he was abruptly thrown to the floor a second time. One of the men dressed in black sneered while on top of him. Thomasin cowered under him, the smell of aggressive alpha getting stronger, making him jittery._

_“Let go, little alpha. Just accept it: you’re never seeing your little girlfriend again. She will find an alpha deserving of her rarity, and you’re clearly not one of them.” The older man said in a tone of superiority — unbeknownst to him that the boy he was currently browbeating was a male omega, rarer than the girl they were kidnapping and more valuable than any of those men multiplied by a thousand — before following his peers, leaving Thomasin alone. He stayed there, in the middle of the corridor, for twenty minutes, lying motionlessly on the floor, staring at the ceiling, wondering when he would wake up from that nightmare. Once the boy acknowledged that situation as nothing but reality, he let out a loud sob._

_Life wasn’t fair, was it?_

 

Dr. Flug silently gasped as he sat up in the bed in a heart’s beat.

Had… Had he fallen asleep without noticing? His heart was still pounding inside his chest to the point where Flug wondered if they were audible. He looked around. His bed was a complete mess. The sheets were on the floor and he was hugging one of the pillows while the other lied next to him. Everything indicated he was thrashing around during his sleep. The scientist breathed out shakily. Another nightmare— no, not a nightmare, this time it was a _memory_. He was under the impression that he had already stopped thinking about that day, but the memory was still vivid and graphic, almost like it had happened yesterday, when it had actually happened years ago. Dr. Flug couldn’t stop thinking about her, screaming for help, being taken away, and often put himself in her place. He would be terrified and probably faint on the spot. He didn’t realize his grip on the pillow tightened until his hands started hurting.

He missed Rosa so much. She was his family, practically an older sister. Seeing her begging for help while being taken away as he did nothing broke his heart. Sometimes he had dreams of finding her again, and would be shattered to find out they weren’t real. Dr. Flug groaned and buried his face in the pillow he was holding, which was thankfully there, because he _screamed_ as loud as he could. He had been bottling his emotions up for years, and now that he let them out like this, he felt somewhat better. The pillow did a good job in muffling the scream. It also made him notice he was wearing his paper bag. He had put it on after having a small crisis right after Black Hat sent him to his room. Well, at least his boss didn’t do something worse…

Just as he took some time to recompose, his phone started buzzing in his pocket, indicating he’d just gotten a message. Sighing, Flug snatched the phone as quickly as possible, ready to spend five minutes trying to decode whatever message had been sent to him. He checked the time on his phone. It was barely past midnight. He’d been asleep for roughly six hours, and he was still somewhat tired. Resisting the urge to fling his phone across the room and go back to sleep, the scientist unlocked his phone with narrowed eyes and tried to read the message.

**_Golden Boy: did you know kangaroos have three vaginas?? Like wtf_ **

It took him a few minutes to decipher the whole thing, most of this time going towards ‘kangaroos’, and it took him five more minutes to process the whole phrase, trying to find some hidden philosophical meaning, but there was none, it was just that. Who was this and why were they texting him about goddamn kangaroos and their genitals? He didn’t remember giving anyone his numb—

_Oh._

**_You: I willfully gave you my number and the first thing you text me about is kangaroos and their genitalia?_ **

Dr. Flug put the phone down near him and lied back down, re-thinking his whole life and its meaning. He really didn’t know what Phantom was planning on accomplishing, but he wasn’t impressed by it. Then again, the hero had already shown to lack conversation skills. He didn’t know why he gave that stranger his number. He _knew_ he would regret it later, but he was so eager to leave that park that he just stopped caring about long-term consequences like this. Luckily autocorrect fixed his grammar mistakes. He was still shaken from the dream to focus properly. His phone buzzed again, indicating Phantom had responded. Flug grabbed the phone lazily, eyeing the message.

**_Golden Boy: pfft I bet you’re just jealous cause they have three vaginas and you don’t :P_ **

**_Golden Boy: is this the part where we flirt yet?_ **

**_Golden Boy: I like your scars. They’re sick, but in a good way. Like, y’know, ‘cool’ sick. Anyway, how did ya get them??_ **

Once he managed to understand the whole text, Dr. Flug flinched, instinctively running a hand through his scars. He wasn’t normally self-conscious about them, but once people mentioned them, and _complimented_ them, the world would come crashing down on him. By complimenting those scars, they were complimenting his father’s work and his attitude. It made Flug feel sick. He glanced at the phone, wondering whether he should respond or delete Phantom from his contacts. The latter sounded like a better option, but he couldn’t do it. He _wanted to_ , but something was stopping him, and he didn’t know what it was. Maybe he should just accept his fuck-up already, gulp his fear down, and respond honestly. And that was what he did.

**_You: Courtesy of my dad. Every time I did something he deemed ‘incorrect’ and ‘not alpha-like’ he would whip me. It was very fun, would definitely do it again._ **

Flug tried to keep his sarcasm levels down, but he couldn’t. He was only hoping Phantom noticed the sarcasm and didn’t think he was a masochist. He couldn’t express his hate for his father in words. If he was asked to, Dr. Flug would be able to write an entire trilogy, and that wouldn’t be even one-fifth of the whole thing. He ran away for a reason. He was done with everything; done with the abuse, the physical punishments, the mental punishments, the constant snide remarks, the pressure, being constantly treated like an object in display, the fear of disappointing the man who was never pleased with anything he did… Flug started plotting his runaway as soon as he eavesdropped on his father talking to himself about an arranged marriage. It was over, and that’s what mattered, but Flug couldn’t erase his past. It would always be behind him, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. The worst thing was that he couldn’t predict when it would happen, it was unexpected…

Honestly, he immediately regretted having sent that message. He didn’t want Phantom to know anything about him or his past. He didn’t want him to know how abusive his father was. It was too late, however, as the message had been sent and viewed. _Idiot,_ he scolded himself, biting his lip. He was going to implode if he continued like this.

His phone buzzed once again.

**_Golden Boy: you too, huh…_ **

… Wait… what?

**_You: What?_ **

Flug had to put his phone down for a second. He wondered what Phantom meant by ‘you too’. Had he also been abused by his father? He needed answers. Thankfully the hero responded fairly quickly.

**_Golden Boy: my dad is also a major asshole. He used to beat my mum constantly and he would steal money from their joint account to buy drugs n shit. Then one day he disappeared. No traces, just… poof, gone. He took all of our money with him. My mum hung herself two days later. I’ve been living with my uncle ever since. He’s nice, and he has a cat named Frodo. [Photo attached of Phantom holding a Persian cat]._ **

Dr. Flug had read that text multiple times, trying to control his anger. It seemed like he had finally found something the two had in common, but why did it have to be _this_ , out of all things? He tried to channel his anger and direct it towards something else. He scanned the room, searching for something that wouldn’t break or make a sound when colliding against a hard surface. Finally, he grabbed his pillow and threw it across the room. It hit a wall and fell to the floor without making a sound. Flug was glad the pillow was there because, if it wasn’t, he was sure he would’ve thrown his phone instead. He glanced at the text one more time, unsure of what to say, and tried to think of something else — he looked at the picture attached to the text. That cat, Frodo, sure looked grumpy, like it despised Phantom’s presence just as much as he did. They could probably be friends it they tried. Flug decided to focus on that.

**_You: Your cat appears to be plotting your death._ **

Phantom’s answer was fast.

**_Golden Boy: ya, his face’s always been like that, but he’s a nice cat. He stole my sandwich once, tho. And he pooped on my bed yesterday._ **

**_Golden Boy: oh shit your right._ **

**_Golden Boy: what do I do? He’s staring at me. I can hear his voice whispering in my ear: “you’re next”. Help me. I’m gonna die. I don’t wanna die tho. I’m too beautiful._ **

His replies were unnaturally fast. Flug was barely able to catch up with everything he was typing, and it wasn’t only because of his dyslexia. He could smell Phantom’s desperation, and it was sweet, it was hilarious, and it was a nice contrast to his hideous grammar, which only made deciphering his texts more difficult. Just as he was preparing to type a response, Phantom followed with another text message.

**_Golden Boy: wait a sec, I’m a motherfucking superhero. That bitch’s got nothing on me._ **

Dr. Flug choked on his own saliva while trying to hold his laughter back. He tried to stop the coughing fit, air escaping his lungs. Once he was able to breathe properly, Flug took a moment to wonder how he had almost died by laughing at a goddamn text message. Phantom was going to kill him, indirectly or not. God, this would be embarrassing. He could already imagine people gathering around his casket, and someone asking: “how did he die?” before another person responds: “oh, he choked on his spit because some shitty-ass hero’s rivalry with his uncle’s cat that was named after a Lord of the Rings character was hilarious”. His phone buzzed once again, and Flug took a deep breath, trying not to think of the previous message so he wouldn’t accidentally choke again.

**_Golden Boy: you still there bby?_ **

Flug’s good mood dried up as his left eye twitched at the annoying nickname.

**_You: Don’t call me ‘bby’._ **

His phone buzzed a second later.

**_Golden Boy: bby ;)_ **

Dr. Flug forcefully hit his head against the bed’s headboard. The little wink at the end made things even worse.

**_You: Go fuck yourself._ **

He put his phone down for the third time that night and grabbed his paper bag, putting it on. The smell comforted him, mainly because he was already getting worked up over a damn conversation over his cellphone. He paused for a second. Flug should’ve told Black Hat about those new heroes, right? Should he tell him later? Black Hat shouldn’t be so worried, because they looked as dumb and predictable as the others. He would be pleased, even. More heroes meant more profit, for villains need more weapons to defeat them. For half a second he felt worried for Phantom’s safety, because the guy was clearly too much of an idiot to be able to handle himself properly, but he shook the feeling off. He was a damn _villain_! He shouldn’t be worried about a stranger he didn’t even know! Were his protective omega instincts attacking again? It was a possibility. His phone buzzed once again.

**_Golden Boy: be more polite bby._ **

Well, _now_ he was considering telling Black Hat about them. He would remember to talk about Phantom specifically, and maybe add some things up, like him insulting Black Hat or something. Thousands of possible answers crossed his mind, each one better and cleverer than the first, but he chose one in particular. Flug began typing it out.

**_You: Proceed to carefully grasp your male reproductive organ and insert it inside your anal orifice._ **

Was he being petty? Maybe, but the answer was just too hilarious to pass up. _My god, I’m acting like Meredith_ , he thought. Meredith Mulligan, the ‘middle child’ of sorts, and one of his older sisters, was always rude to everyone she knew, even to their father. He understood her, however. Besides her obvious depression, she was always ignored, excluded from events and laughed at. The more she was ridiculed, the more distant she grew; it was a vicious cycle that could not be stopped. Her twin sister, Madeline, seemed to be constantly outshining her in everything, and was the preferred twin. No wonder Meredith grew up to be such a bitter person and developed depression. Flug wondered if he was the only one to ever give his sister some attention, even if she did not appreciate it. It was possible, and this made him sad. Should he…? _No, stop thinking about your family, just stop,_ Flug scolded himself, focusing on the new text he just received.

**_Golden Boy: I said polite._ **

Flug rolled his eyes.

**_You: Please._ **

Phantom didn’t waste time in responding.

**_Golden Boy: well, now that you asked~ quick question tho: with or without lube?_ **

“Why can’t I have a normal relationship with anyone?” Flug lamented. If Black Hat found those messages out he would kill him, if he didn’t kill Phantom first. Ever since his omega status had been discovered, his boss was acting… _oddly_. His alpha instincts went through the roof. It frustrated Dr. Flug, honestly. He was more than capable of protecting himself with his weapons. He was nothing short of a genius. It would be hard, however, to convince Black Hat’s inner alpha of this. If the doctor could choose, he would go back in time, back when his boss didn’t give a shit about him and his current mental and physical conditions. He had _promised_ him nothing would change, but, apparently, he decided to go back on his own promise. How pathetic… Flug looked at his phone again, as Phantom sent him another message.

**_Golden Boy: well I don’t have lube so mayonnaise will do. Anyway we should meet up again. When are u free?_ **

As much as Flug wanted to leave his room to go somewhere else, even if it was on a date with Phantom (mostly to mock him repeatedly), he was grounded (the term sounded ridiculous now that he thought about it) and the last thing he wanted was an angry Black Hat. His chances of leaving that manor ever again were already slim. If he escaped one more time, they would be nonexistent, because he would be _dead_. Well, he was exaggerating a little… Maybe Black Hat would just rip his legs off— wait, ‘just’? Was Flug really getting used to such cruel punishments? Well, he could live without his legs. It’s not like he was going anywhere anytime soon anyways. His grip on the phone tightened.

**_You: I can’t._ **

He paused, rethinking his whole existence. How different would things be if he really were a beta? Well, for starters, his boss wouldn’t act so possessively. Maybe he wouldn’t even have a boss in the first place, because he wouldn’t have a reason to run away. Dr. Flug shook his head, trying to forget, but the memory kept coming back, he couldn’t stop it. There it was, crawling closer and closer until—

His phone’s buzzing snapped him out of it, thankfully.

**_Golden Boy: lemme guess: grounded?_ **

He didn’t have to think about the answer.

**_You: That’s one way of putting it._ **

Dr. Flug tensed once he heard three sharp knocks on the door. “C-come in.” He stuttered, hiding his phone under a pillow, knowing very well who was on the other side of that door. There was only _one_ person in that manor with an alpha scent, after all. His door basically swung open to reveal none other than Black Hat. Flug tensed, not expecting the sudden visit from his boss, especially so late at night. Black Hat seemed unconcerned and relaxed. “U-um, what can I do f-for you, sir?” He asked, trying to be as polite as his anxious-self could, putting more pressure towards the pillow hiding his phone, hoping Phantom wouldn’t answer him. If Black Hat found out he gave him number out to some stranger while he was gone, his boss would… He wasn’t even sure, in fact. He would probably hunt Phantom down.

“I’ve come here to ask you one thing. Has anything new happened while you were out?” The eldritch horror asked him. Flug had a small debate on whether he should tell Black Hat about those new heroes or not. He finally decided it would be better to tell him, because, if his boss found out by himself, he wouldn’t be pleased with him for hiding that information. His grip on the pillow tightened.

“W-well, apparently there are two new superheroes… The first one’s called Captain Justice and, uh…” He paused for a second, reconsidering his plan. Maybe he should leave Phantom out of this mess. “I-I forgot his sidekick’s name…” He lied, trying to be as convincing as possible. Black Hat wouldn’t be able to prove he didn’t remember his name. Dr. Flug watched as his boss nodded, pacing around the room, until his phone buzzed. His eyes widened as he resisted the urge to pick the phone up, praying his boss didn’t hear. Thankfully, if Black Hat did hear it, he pretended not to notice. His phone buzzed once again, seemingly louder this time, but his boss still paid no mind to it. When it buzzed a third time, however, he snapped, using a tendril to snatch the phone. “Wait—” Flug yelled, standing up, before realizing what he’d done and sitting down again.

Black Hat ignored him, growing frustrated with the phone’s incessant noises, which was not only annoying him but was also preventing him from thinking about how to deal with those new heroes. He eyed the new messages Dr. Flug received, from someone called ‘Golden Boy’, watching as his employee recoiled, trying to stop him. What was the scientist hiding that he didn’t want his boss to see? He read the texts.

**_Golden Boy: well that sucks._ **

**_Golden Boy: I woulda loved to take you to the mall someday._ **

**_Golden Boy: you know what I’m gonna kidnap you. You better not sleep tonight._ **

Black Hat’s rage was building with every word this ‘Golden Boy’ typed. Was this unknown person literally threatening to take his omega away from him?! He wouldn’t allow it. He slowly turned towards his scientist, seeing red, and wanting an explanation. Why was he talking to this person and why was he hiding this whole conversation from him? Dr. Flug was tense, avoiding his gaze, probably rethinking his life choices. He swore he heard the younger man mutter ‘Phantom, you dense motherfucker’, but maybe it was just his imagination. Black Hat didn’t have time for this; he had more urgent matters to address. “Doctor, would you care to explain?” Black Hat asked, as politely and neutrally as he could, while trying not to shove the phone on his scientist’s face. Flug slowly took his phone from his boss’ hand and read the last three messages sent. He was growing more and more nervous each second as his dyslexia started acting up again, blending with his nervousness, preventing him from reading properly. It was okay: Black Hat had the whole night.

“S-sir, I can explain…” Flug stuttered out after minutes of silence. Black Hat nodded.

“I’m waiting.”

“… Alright, I can’t explain…” The scientist confessed, staring at his own feet, trying to control his breathing without success. “He wasn’t being serious, I-I swear… I hope…” He murmured that last part, but the room was quiet enough for Black Hat to be able to hear it. _That was it_. The demon didn’t care if whoever Dr. Flug was talking to was being serious or not, he wasn’t going to risk it. Black Hat had already taken a decision.

“You’re sleeping in my room tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HE'S AFTER YOUR ASS, FLUG.
> 
> Just kiddin~ (maybe who knows) I swear there's not gonna be NSFW next chapter, but this chapter was very unsafe if you ask me XD at first the whole 'kangaroo' thing was supposed to be about platypuses sweating milk but I changed it because it's funnier. And, before you ask me, yes, there is an explanation for his nickname "Kim". You guys can guess, though, it's more entertaining this way. It's pretty easy if you ask me~
> 
> Also, Flug's nickname in this whatsapp-like app (I don't know the name, tho) is "Mad Scientist". Phantom chose Golden Boy because his costume is somewhat golden, btw, but it's also because I like Nadav Guedj's Golden Boy so it's a reference. BOI Black Hat is pissed. Someone's trying to steal his cinnamon roll, he's not gonna allow it. I also included LoTR because IT'S MY FANFIC I DO WHATEVER I WANT.
> 
> We also have more of Flug's past being slowly revealed. Rosa Rivera's going to be a proeminent character, but only later in this story. Poor Rosa, what happened to her? Phantom's also having his past revealed. 1 kudos = 1 punch in his dad's face. Jk, only leave kudos if you all want ;) 
> 
> If you guys ask me, my favorite phrase from this chapter is "Phantom, you dense motherfucker". I'm also pretty sure "I bet you’re just jealous cause they have three vaginas and you don’t" is very weird without context...
> 
> ... What is my life.
> 
> EDIT: I re-edited this chapter seconds after posting because I forgot to re-write some references about platypuses.  
> EDIT 2: Before I decided to name the cat Frodo I named it Sam and I found a 'sam' lying around somewhere so it's gone now :P  
> EDIT FUCK THIS: Why do I only find typos AFTER I post the goddamn chapter
> 
> I also wanna say I've been editing a few chapters. Nothing plot-changing, just fixing typos and shit like that. Why? Read the phrase above.


	5. Little lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Flug thought Phantom was kidding when the hero talked about kidnapping him. It turns out he wasn't.
> 
> “He’s going to castrate you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am :P
> 
> I wanted to warn, first and foremost, that I've been editing a few chapters (idk if I've said this before). Nothing plot-changing, just typos and a few phrases.
> 
> I'm also very proud of this chapter. I don't know why, it's just an ordinary chapter, but I like how it turned out. I also used the thesaurus, I shamefully admit...
> 
> Enjoy!

Dr. Flug has heard Black Hat say many unexpected, strange, and disturbing things (even if his memory was a blur of aggressive orders and random bullshit) during those two years he’s spent working for the demon, and, at this point, he has already learned not to be surprised by anything his boss uttered.

_“You’re sleeping in my room tonight.”_

Flug knew that he shouldn’t have been taken aback, considering everything he’s gone through, but this was something beyond his control. The scientist froze in place as soon as everything sank in, unsure of how to proceed. Black Hat’s voice tone was firm and clear, leaving no room for discussions. It wasn’t something debatable, it was an _order_. In fact, now that he thought about it, this wasn’t an order from Black Hat himself, but rather his inner alpha. As much as Flug was tempted to disagree, ready to lecture the demon on how he could take care of himself without having to hide behind an alpha like he was expected to, he relented, since the situation the two were in was rather… _delicate_. Black Hat was currently attempting to deal with having an omega under his protection without taking any drastic measures, and any sign of danger or threat could awaken his protective alpha instincts. Meanwhile, Dr. Flug was trying to have some peace without being constantly reminded of his inferiority.

“S-sir…” The doctor didn’t know what to say, and not because he was at a loss for words, but rather because he had too many thoughts and putting them all at once into words was near impossible. “Is… Is this really necessary? I mean, I could—”

“ ** _Dr. Flug, I have taken my decision. Whether you like it or not doesn’t matter._** ” Black Hat interrupted, already feeling his patience running dry. Dr. Flug tried not to flinch. His boss’s voice was low and disharmonic, almost inhuman, and it showed just how serious the demon was. Going against Black Hat was useless. Swallowing his pride and integrity for the sake of his life, soul, and general well-being, the doctor nodded, carefully standing up from the bed, nimbly snatching his goggles from the bed stand, putting his phone inside its single drawer, and following his boss as the two left his room. While on their way to Black Hat’s room, Dr. Flug put his goggles on. He knew it was a stupid move, considering he would go back to sleep shortly (or so he hoped), but those goggles gave him a small sense of comfort and completeness. He did need some solace after everything he had gone through, and he managed to find it through inanimate objects, of all things. And to think this whole mess started just two days ago…

“We’re here.” Black Hat announced half-heartedly as he abruptly stopped in front of his room, both hands in his pockets, his left one searching for a set of golden keys. Dr. Flug was too distracted to notice the sudden pause or even hear his boss’s warning, so he ended up bumping against the alpha.

“Ah, I-I’m so sorry, sir!” He hastily declared, still looking at his own feet and avoiding any and all eye contact, and then taking a step back to create some distance between both of them. The demon did not even turn around, having already grown accustomed to his employee’s constant apologies. He just rolled his eyes, grabbed the set of keys he’d been searching for and unlocked the door. Flug was tempted to ask why his room needed a lock — or _three_ , apparently —, but then he remembered Demencia’s existence and everything fell into place. The two silently stepped inside the demon’s room and Dr. Flug watched as his boss locked the door once again. “Um… what now, sir?” He asked awkwardly, rubbing his arm. Only after feeling the cotton rubbing against his bare hands did he realize he wasn’t wearing any gloves.

“Now you fall into a deep coma while experiencing moderate hallucinations for around eight hours like the rest of your pathetic kind, you moron.” Black Hat deadpanned (like this was the basest of knowledges), taking a seat in a nearby chair. Flug felt weird by thinking his way of describing ‘sleep’ was oddly charming but disturbingly truthful at the same time. “Don’t forget to take off your shoes.” Deep inside, Black Hat was relieved to be in his own room. His scientist’s room smelled like fraught omega, and it was _maddening_. Luckily his willpower was stronger than his natural alpha impulses and he managed to not jump on the innocent omega and coddle him to death.

Flug took his shoes and socks off, putting them near the door, before hesitantly making his way to his boss’s bed. He was nowhere near sleepy, but something (maybe his common sense) told him Black Hat wouldn’t care. It wasn’t unusual, however. The demon was never one to listen to people’s opinions and accept criticism, and he was very adamant. It didn’t really make a difference, though. Demencia would throw herself under a bus if Black Hat told her to, because she was too head over heels for him to care about her own safety. 5.0.5 was too scared of Black Hat to dare disobey him. The bear would just nod and promptly do whatever he was ordered. Dr. Flug couldn’t blame any of them. It was pretty clear that Demencia had a few… _mental problems_ , and 5.0.5 wouldn’t be able to defy anyone, no matter how much he tried to. As for him, he had been hired to obey Black Hat, and he signed the contract of his own free will, so he was aware of the risks he had taken and the consequences that would come along.

When his true secondary gender was discovered, Flug couldn’t say he wasn’t expecting changes. Why wouldn’t there be? He was less than 1% of the entire human population. He was the equivalent of a needle in an extra-large haystack. He wasn’t, however, expecting his boss to lock him up for good. While he didn’t have as much freedom as he had before agreeing to work for Black Hat, often having to work until absurdly late hours just to meet deadlines, Dr. Flug still had enough freedom. He could go to the supermarket if he had time to do so, and he had a few free days, which he would spend on the mall or strolling around the town, doing what free people do. Being a beta was easier because he wasn’t rare, he wasn’t hunted, and he wasn’t put on a pedestal. He was _normal_. Betas weren’t expected to be quiet, submissive and obsequious; they were simply expected to follow the law, respect the unwritten social norms and be productive. Why couldn’t it be that simple for omegas as well? They had as many talents as alphas or betas.

Dr. Flug didn’t realize he was holding his breath until his body started to miss the much needed oxygen. Taking a deep breath, he tried to forget about how unjust the world was and go to sleep, but it was easier said than done. “I know you are not sleeping, Flug.” Black Hat’s unflustered voice reverberated around the room, making him stir. Was it that noticeable? Well, Flug had to admit that a human being not breathing properly during their sleep does raise concern, especially since he had been holding his breath for a while. Sighing, Flug sat up in the bed, gripping the silk sheets firmly but carefully so as not to damage them. He couldn’t fall asleep. “What is troubling you, doctor?” His boss’s sudden question made him stir once again. He’d forgotten about the demon for a second.

“I can’t sleep, sir.”

“Do you have insomnia? Is this what you humans call the condition of being unable to fall asleep?” Flug was inclined to say yes. It was plausible, after all. He couldn’t easily fall asleep most of the time, often having to work himself to exhaustion or take sleeping pills as a last resort. However, he still possessed the ability to randomly black out on his own lab table, even after having consumed an unhealthy amount of caffeine. Flug shook his head, remembering the question he had been asked, and then looking up. Black Hat had seemingly been reading a thick book, already halfway through.

“It’s not that, sir. It’s just…” Should he be honest? Black Hat was constantly reminding him about his contract and the first rule he agreed to follow: _never lie_. Lying about his secondary gender had already stirred up enough trouble, and he didn’t want to cause any more disturbances. _Honesty it is, then,_ Flug decided. “I… I can’t stop thinking about my secondary gender, sir.” This phrase piqued Black Hat’s interest as he closed the book (without bothering to mark or memorize the page he’d been reading, no less) and put it aside. When quietude filled the room, Flug took the silence as Black Hat’s authorization for him to explicate his worries. “I’m worried, s-sir. I understand my value and such, but I… I don’t think _this_ is necessary.” And once this had been said, he pointed to the room the two were in. That’s when he remembered _why_ he was there in the first place. “The person I was talking to… T-they didn’t mean any harm, I’m sure. They’re too much of an idiot to be able to h-hurt me.” Black Hat appeared to be less than impressed.

“Doctor Flug—,” he then stood up, swiftly twirling the wooden cane in his hands, and then walking towards his bed before stopping. Flug instinctively stiffened, resisting the urge to back away and use the sheets as a shield. “—you are a _decent_ scientist, and replacing you would be too much of a hassle. For now, I will assume this ‘Golden Boy’ is indeed a threat to your well-being, and, trust me, I will tear them in half if they ever step in this manor, which means you’d better be right about them not being serious.” _Phantom, you are so damn dead_ , Flug thought as he looked around, trying to avoid his boss’s overbearing gaze, but he was _everywhere_. Black Hat’s strong scent filled the room, suffocating him, and, on top of that, the demon was also releasing protective alpha pheromones, probably without even noticing. Flug was divided between being daunted and allured by the scent, until shame hit him. Why was he feeling attracted by _this_? How could his inner omega betray him like that?

“S-sir, your scent is…” He stuttered, trying to find a way to convince Black Hat to _calm the hell down_. Despite his pathetic attempt, his boss’s scent got even stronger, and Flug _knew_ he was going to have to take more drastic measures. _This is going to be so fucking embarrassing_ , he thought. “A- _alpha_ , c-can you please stop?” Flug wasn’t expecting this to work, but it did. He could feel Black Hat’s scent dissipating, finally allowing him to breathe. That’s when he saw his boss’s confused face and blushed under his bag. Black Hat would never let him live this one down, he was sure. He would be on his lab, doing science, and then his boss would barge in, walk up to him and say “remember when you called me ‘alpha’ like a little bitch?” until he dies of shame.

“What did you just call me?” Black Hat’s question snapped him from his sudden oblivion. There was no anger in his tone, just confusion and perplexity.

“I-I’m so sorry, sir, but y-you didn’t listen and… and this was the only way…” Flug was too nervous to ratiocinate properly, causing him to trip over his own words. How could he even begin explaining this? If he kept doing this he was going to have a cardiac arrest before this twenty-first birthday. At least he now knew how to get Black Hat’s attention, but that information wouldn’t be very useful after his death, which was pretty near; he could _feel_ his lifespan reducing just by thinking about it. As the silence began getting awkward, Flug yawned, and then tried to stifle it, but he was a little too late. Instead of saying anything or resorting to threats and violence (like he always did), Black Hat simply sighed.

“Go back to sleep before I make you.”

“Y-yes, al— I mean, sir…” Flug faltered with wide eyes before lying down again, hoping Black Hat hadn’t noticed his blunder. _I can’t believe I almost called him ‘alpha’ again_ , he lamented, tense. He stood like that for god knows how long, trying to convince himself that he was still in his own bed, dreaming, and that nothing was real, and he hadn’t called his boss ‘alpha’ once and a half, that he couldn’t have opened the room’s windows even though they definitely were there, existing and firmly locked, and that maybe he was living inside a simulation that would end when he died, and that, if everything was indeed real, he still had a chance of dying in his sleep, until fatigue caught up with him and he eventually fell asleep.

Black Hat noticed his scientist’s breaths slowing down until they were steady, and knew he had fallen asleep. _And I didn’t even need to drug him… Sounds like progress,_ he though, amused. The demon quietly made his way to the chair he’d been sitting on before, picking the book up, sitting back down and continuing from where he’d stopped. Black Hat was unable to concentrate, however. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Flug had told him a few minutes ago… _“I don’t think this is necessary”_ , he had said, and, for the first time, he had been completely sincere. Was he right, though? Was Black Hat being too controlling? Was he worrying for no reason? It wouldn’t surprise him if the answer to both of these question was ‘yes’. All he did, ever since he found out Flug was an omega just two days ago, was confine the younger man and pretend his reasons for doing so were justifiable and not for his own gain. He eyed the human one more time, feeling nothing but commiseration. Why would he—

And then there was a loud crash that came from downstairs, followed by 5.0.5’s desperate yelp and Demencia’s obnoxious laughter, interrupting his line of thought.

“What is it now?” He grumbled, putting his book down for the second time that night and heading towards the door, grabbing his set of keys and trying to control his already short temper. It was a scientifically-proven fact that he couldn’t have a moment of peace in his own manor. Black Hat was ready to leave the room, but then saw Flug shift on his bed, murmuring something incoherent. _A minute won’t hurt_ , the demon told himself before locking the door and leaving. Something — a small voice in the back of his mind, perhaps — told him to go back as soon as he stepped out of the room, but the demon chose to ignore it, knowing very well this voice was no one other than his inner alpha, blinded by his perturbingly long distance from the omega it was trying to protect. _Just a minute, that’s all it’ll take_ , Black Hat thought, making his way to the kitchen, which was the source of the sound.

“ **What is going on here?** ” He asked, trying to calm himself down and analyze the situation like a rational and collected adult, because it was obvious _someone_ had to be the adult in that manor and it wasn’t going to be his employees.

Demencia, the kitchen and 5.0.5 were covered in cooking batter. The latter was holding a pan and a whisk, which indicated he’d been cooking. Meanwhile, Demencia was holding a vuvuzela in one hand and an air horn in the other, which explained a lot. Already feeling annoyance take over, Black Hat leaned forward, deliberately releasing more alpha pheromones, establishing dominance. Alphas could release different types of pheromones, and each type had a distinctive (although still spicy) scent and a meaning: contentment, displeasure, protectiveness, alarm, arousal… And then there was the one he released the most: _anger_. This specific pheromone was also used to indicate preeminence over other alphas, and its release by two alphas in the same territory will often result in a gruesome fight, a fierce altercation or a disapproving stare. 5.0.5 quivered under him, knowing this scent all too well. Demencia, on the other hand, audibly purred, dropping the items she was holding and scooting closer.

“It was nothing, Black Hat, your damsel is safe.” Demencia told him with a cheshire grin, inching towards her boss, who huffed and pressed his cane against her chest, stopping her immediately. Her unsavory ‘romantic’ gestures only made Black Hat miserable.

“ **Clean this mess. If I return and my kitchen is still a mess, I will have your heads on a silver platter. Understood?** ” 5.0.5 nodded, high-strung and shook, while the lizard-human hybrid licked her lips seductively. Black Hat took their non-verbal responses as a ‘yes’, resisted the urge to gag at Demencia’s poor attempt to seduce him, and simply turned around with the intent to pretend this never happened, or that he hadn’t seen it.

He made his way to his room, glad the whole ordeal had been resolved. It had only been a minute, but, to his agitated inner alpha, it was the equivalent of an eternity. Black Hat’s steps were hurried but still graceful enough. He couldn’t afford losing his charm, after all. After being far away from the mess that was his kitchen, the only audible sounds were of his rapid footsteps and his jingling keys. The demon wondered if the halls magically got longer while he was out, because it was taking forever to reach his room. Once he did reach it, however, Black Hat had almost forgotten it was locked. As he unlocked the door and stepped inside, the first thing he checked was none other than Dr. Flug. Thankfully, the scientist was fast asleep, his bag and goggles narrowly skewed, revealing his chin and a bit of white hair. After making sure the doctor was unharmed, Black Hat allowed himself to breathe. His omega wasn’t injured. Yes, he had panicked in vain. The demon froze, however, when he felt the cold nightly wind current hit him.

_The windows were open._

**_.  .  ._ **

“Amadeus, honey!” Amadeus Hunter heard a familiar feminine voice carol before the doors to his study were opened unceremoniously. A smile made its way to his lips.

“Eggy, what brings you here?” The alpha asked while putting his paperwork down and skillfully spinning the pen he’d been holding around his fingers. It was an odd habit of his, but his wife found it oddly captivating, often reminding him to teach her how to do it one day, but Amadeus often found himself too busy with his work to pay her attention. His wife, Eglantine Hunter (or, as he loved to call her, ‘Eggy’), an exquisite omega, rolled her eyes at the grim pet name. At first she would scold or downright assault him for calling her that, but she’s stopped caring as the years passed, resorting to scrunching up her nose or murmuring ‘I want a divorce’. As a revenge of sorts, she decided to start calling him Amy, and _only_ Amy, even in serious business meetings, in front of his friends and co-workers. Going back to work on a Monday after a business meeting on Friday has never been so painful…

“I must ask a question.” His wife proclaimed with her trademark smile, gaining her husband’s interest and suspicion at the same time. “What do you think about being a father, Amy?” The word ‘father’ pierced his soul like a thousand spears. Amadeus gawked at her, trying to understand what she had just asked him and what that sentence implied. “Amy? Amadeus? Honey…?” She snapped her fingers in front of his face, awakening him from his trance. She wasn’t surprised by his reaction, honestly. As far as Amadeus knew, she’d had a hysterectomy years ago, which meant that, unless she decided to copy Frankenstein, sold her soul to the devil, or became God, she couldn’t create life. His alarm was understandable. She was also painfully aware of Amadeus’ aversion towards children.

“Eggy, you’re not pregnant, are you?” He asked in an unusually high-pitched voice, dazed and uneasy.

“Of course not, you ponce!” She exclaimed, shaking her head, before sitting on her husband’s desk. He was too shaken by her strange insult to care about the stack of paperwork she was currently sitting on. “I’ve been… _thinking_.”

“This is never a good thing.” He deadpanned, putting his pen down.

“ _Quiet_. Where was I? Oh, yes, I remember now. What would you think about us having a child, but, like, a fully-grown child?”

“We call them _adults_ , honey.” Amadeus explained in a patronizing tone.

“ _Bullshit_. This child had barely gone past adulthood. He’s, like, nineteen, and they have ‘teen’ at the end for a reason.” This conversation was leading them nowhere.

“… Eglantine, what are you talking about?” He asked, cross, wanting to get to the point.

“I’m thinking about adopting a nineteen-year-old. Like I said, I already chose the vict— _lucky child_.” She coughed, averting her gaze. Amadeus sighed, massaging his temples. He was getting a migraine. “Anyway, what do you think?” He knew his input was meaningless in this situation, considering how stupidly unswerving his wife was, but he couldn’t just let her do whatever she wanted either, especially if the law was involved. Yes, he was a villain, but only at night and under a disguise and an alter-ego. No one would think Crowfeather — one of the most powerful and feared villains out there — was _him_ , the old boring Amadeus Hunter. He was still a normal and civil man in the eyes of society, and intended to keep it that way. Unfortunately, his wife was always _insisting_ on ruining that for him.

“Eglantine, we can’t legally adopt a nineteen-year-old.”

“Of course we can. We’ll do it at night, when everybody is sleeping.”

“So you’re telling me your plan is to _kidnap_ someone.”

“I prefer the term ‘surprise adoption’.” Amadeus stared at her skeptically.

“… Do you still want that divorce?”

“You’re diverging from the topic.” Eglantine responded briskly.

After pondering about their situation, Amadeus took a deep breath and a decision at the same time. “… Alright, then, but we’re _not_ kidnapping _anyone_.” He told her, trying to be as serious as possible. “If you’re so eager to become a mother — which I personally find concerning because you’re unable to take care of a doll, which can’t move and eventually grow to become a respectful member of society — we can discuss adoption later.” Truth be told, he was humoring her. Amadeus was sure his wife would forget about this stupid idea in a few days. Eglantine nodded, radiant. She felt like she ought to be offended by her husband’s doubts, but was still pretty happy nonetheless. Amadeus didn’t know why. She’d never expressed any positive feelings towards motherhood in any way. What caused her to change her mind?

“If you insist… Oh, I just remembered I need to go somewhere. See you later, darling!” And she jumped from his desk, making her way to the door.

“Eggy, wait!” Amadeus called, realizing something, just as she was ready to leave. His wife promptly let go of the golden doorknob and spun on her heels, hands behind her back. “What were you doing a few hours ago? I couldn’t find you around the house and neither could the maids.” Eglantine blinked and then gave him a reassuring smile, before turning around once again. Amadeus never saw her tender smile turning into a cunning smirk as her eyes glimmered dangerously under the moonlight, showing her true colors. For the first time in years she felt a new emotion take over, something she had never sensed before, but it was something that excited her. It's like a little spark in the middle of the forest: it’s insignificant and harmless at first, but, in the end, it will eventually grow, spread around and become deadly.

“Nothing at all, dear, I was just visiting a little lion.”

**_.  .  ._ **

It was almost eight in the morning when Dr. Flug came to.

A strange feeling took over as soon as he groggily opened his eyes, a feeling he couldn’t name, but could describe. There was a hint of fear, apprehension, and regret all mixed together, tinted with a slight shade of confusion. It was a gut feeling, something from deep inside that was attempting to warn him of a forthcoming disaster, telling him he should go back to sleep, skip this day, erase it from his calendar, and pretend it never existed at all, but the advice fell on deaf ears. It took the doctor a few seconds of blinking to adjust his vision, and a few more to brush his weariness off. Flug yawned, stretching. Where was he? He tried to remember something from the previous night, but his memory failed him. That’s when a spicy scent invaded his nostrils, sending shivers down his spine, and he remembered. He was in his boss’s _room_ , sleeping in his _bed_.

Flug blinked, analyzing his surroundings. Black Hat was nowhere to be seen. His scent remained, however. It was suffocating, intimidating, fearsome…

… _Attractive_ …

The omega flinched at the intrusive thought, feeling disgusting. He knew this weird attraction to the demon’s scent was only biological, but it was also horrifying at the same time. How could this happen? How did he let this become his life? His inner omega _insisted_ on embarrassing him no matter the situation. Deciding to have his existential crisis when he was in his own room, Flug jumped out of the bed, grabbed his shoes and socks, hastily put them on, and left the room. The door was thankfully unlocked. He stepped outside, making sure no one was near, closed the door behind him, and made his way to his own room. It was strange how, even after being far away from Black Hat’s room, he could still smell his scent in the air.

Some people are happy to be able to afford nice things. Some people are happy to be with their family. Some people are happy to be with their soulmates. Flug, however, was happy to be in his room, alone.

Out of all the strange things he’d been forced to do because of his secondary gender, sleeping on his boss’s room definitely took the cake. He didn’t expect Black Hat to become so…. _protective_ of him. It _could be_ a good thing coming from anyone else, but this was Black Hat, a demon who’s conquered the world multiple times and then stopped because he got bored, and no good thing could come from such a creature. Flug wondered if he’d ever be able to go outside alone again, which reminded him once again of the one who put him in this mess. Phantom, ever the idiot, clearly didn’t show up, which was a good thing, because it meant one less body to dispose of. Flug wanted to go back to work, to distract himself, but knew it was better to change his attire first. Taking his jacket and shirt off, he put on one of his blue shirts with the drawing of a plane snapped in half, one of his favorite designs, and then his lab coat. The familiar smell of various chemicals lingered. Just as he was about to put his paper bag and goggles on, since he had taken them off to be able to change clothes, something knocked on his window.

“Hey, baby.” Someone sang from the other side, voice somewhat muffled by the glass, knocking on the window once more. Flug froze and his mind shut itself down. His expectations of a normal day had been crushed in five mere seconds.

 _Please don’t be who I think it is,_ he mentally pleaded, hesitantly turning around. Alas, he was right. A certain superhero was leaning against his window with a smug grin and a hand on his waist, as if he’d just accomplished the impossible. “What the fu…” The scientist trailed off, muddled and petrified, watching as Phantom knocked on his window a third time, but slower, as if this was just a little game. He was still wearing his bright, obnoxiously flashy blue and golden suit. His hair was combed and gelled when it hadn’t been during his fight with Doctor Evil and their unfortunate encounter at the park. This little detail explained everything: he came _prepared_. It was his plan all along. Rushing towards the moronic hero, the scientist hastily opened the window, panic consuming his soul and spreading to his mortal body. Did this man have a death wish? “What the fuck are you doing here?” Dr. Flug shout-whispered to Phantom, who shrugged in response.

“I promised I would kidnap you, so here I am.”

Apparently Phantom was more suicidal than he thought. Without asking for permission, Phantom gently pushed Flug aside and entered his room, landing on the floor without a care and closing the window behind him forcefully. Flug didn’t even feel impressed by the fact that he’d just flown all the way there since his room was on the second floor. Once the scientist managed to acknowledge his plight he grabbed Phantom by the shoulders and pulled him back, pressing the man against the window. “You can’t stay here!” He hissed dangerously, narrowing his eyes. He wasn’t even sure if his heart was still beating, but he was damn sure that if Phantom continued this pathetic game he would end up _dead_. Flug didn’t want to deal with this so early in the morning. On top of that, he would surely lose the little trust his boss had in him and end up having to bear with his endless bitching.

“Why?” Phantom asked, reminding Flug that he was still there.

“Because if my boss finds out you’re the guy who threatened to kidnap me he will _kill you_ and _fuck your corpse_.” Perhaps he was exaggerating a little bit (or not, he didn’t know), but he wanted to get rid of Phantom, and _fast_ , besides the fact that he was annoyed and tired, and his sarcasm levels often go through the roof when he’s like that. The hero froze, appalled. Flug took notice of one thing: he never released any pheromones. He knew many things about alphas and their pheromones, having been raised around them, and if he knew one thing in specific is that a particular set of emotions trigger a location in the brain responsible for the scent glands and forces them to change their characteristics accordingly, which didn’t happen with Phantom. Actually, his scent felt more like cologne than a scent itself.

“… Is your boss really into that?” Flug blinked, recalling their predicament.

“I can call him and find out, if you’d like.”

“No, this is fine, my mother told me not to question people’s kinks…” He retorted, sweating nervously. _What kind of childhood did you have?_ Flug couldn’t find it in him to ask. “So, I’m going to… go now…” He pointed to the window before turning around. Flug sighed in relief. He was glad everything had been resolved without a bloodbath. He would have to talk to Phantom later about how heroes are supposed to be trustworthy and protect their people instead of using their powers for their amusement and for harassing passers-by, although he wasn’t sure if he would understand this ‘complex’ explanation, considering his intelligence. After twenty seconds had passed, he noticed Phantom was still there, gripping the window as if his life depended on it, which it did. He was pale, breaths unevenly faster, as if he had seen a ghost, which is what he would become if he didn’t leave. Flug took a deep breath, trying not to have a fit. _What could it possibly be now?_

“Why aren’t you gone yet?” He asked, not even bothering trying to hide his annoyance. Phantom let go of the window, and slowly spun his head to face the scientist, much like an owl.

“It’s stuck.”

There was a brief pause before realization dawned on both of them.

“What do I do?” Phantom asked in quandary. Fear and panic were more than evident in his voice. Flug thought his consternation was hilarious. Phantom? Not so much. The doctor completely forgot about their little problem, focusing on the hero’s suffering instead. Black Hat would kill that guy without a second thought, for he was an intruder, but would hardly hurt Flug. He wouldn’t go to such great lengths to protect the omega just to end up harming or killing him. The costs to find another scientist that would endure the same things as him would be too great. Besides, it wasn’t his fault that Phantom was a bumbling ignoramus who dared trespass Black Hat’s property. Flug wasn’t the one to blame: Phantom was. Seeing the hero’s disconcerted face only made matters worse. Flug tried to stifle his laughter; this whole situation was horrible and comical at the same time, but he could make it worse. How? Teasing Phantom, of course. He wanted payback. That hero brought him nothing but trouble, and it was time for him to suffer the consequences.

“He’s going to castrate you.” The phrase had the desired effect.

“This is not funny!” The other wailed, shrinking half his size and closing his legs.

“Alright, alright…” After taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, Flug continued. He wasn’t done yet. He was only starting. It was a small price for his help. “Before we do anything else, let me ask you a question: what are your last words?”

“ _Thomasin!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phantom you're so fucking dead.
> 
> As you can see he is an idiot. Will they escape unpunished? Place your bets! :P We also get introduced to two new characters, Amadeus and Eglantine Hunter. Useless info: Amadeus Hunter is an alpha who has a very normal job and normal life (he's also filthy rich), but during certain nights he becomes a villain named Crowfeather. He's Black Hat's acquaintance. Eglantine Hunter is his omega wife, and she's not oppressed, but her husband does insist she be a stay-at-home wife. She is very secretive about her midnight strolls. What could she be planning? Who is this little lion?
> 
> Random nerd fit coming: That sounded a lot like a pokémon episode, sorry. Also, UltraSun and UltraMoon are coming, hopefully they'll have shorter cutscenes because COME ON NINTENDO. Shiny hunting for a starter is MADDENING. 3 whole damned minutes, seriously?!
> 
> Ahem... Tell me how you guys want Phantom to die :P we also have an explanation on how pheromones work on alphas. And before you guys ask, being called 'alpha' by an omega CAN be considered a kink of sorts... I feel dirty writing this so early in the story, forgive my sins.
> 
> And yes, it IS scientifically-proven that BH can't have peace in his own house. I'm the scientist. I have a digital diploma to prove it.


	6. Never come back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flug had laughed when his oldest sister, Rosemary, told him omegas could cancel a scent blocker’s effect at will when they got too stressed. He had laughed because it sounded ridiculous. It was ridiculous. He had assumed it was a myth and nothing more than that.
> 
> He should’ve known better than to doubt his ability of making the impossible possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyy I'm back.
> 
> Anyway, sorry for the delay. I made a 7000-word chapter to make up for the lost time. Enjoy~
> 
> EDIT: I almost forgot, thank you all for 500 kudos!! I love you guys <3

Dr. Flug didn’t know what to do, to be honest.

One part of him — the evil, cruel, and villainous half — was tempted to leave Phantom to fend for himself and eventually die in the hands of Black Hat (or of a heart attack), but the other part of him — the half influenced by his inner omega, probably — wished to help him escape that hell. He glanced at the hero, who was petrified, and made his decision. “Get out of my way,” he ordered. Phantom took a step back, allowing Flug to access the window. He tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. If this was any other day, the scientist would not even bother faking surprise, considering he was not the strongest of people, but, if not even Phantom — a self-proclaimed superhero that’s stronger than your average person — could open that window, then there was definitely a problem. “How the hell did you get it stuck?” Flug asked, sending the other man an icy glare. He really liked that window, and he liked it even more when it could do the only thing it was supposed to do: _open_. Phantom rubbed the back of his head, averting his gaze in shame.

“I might’ve closed it with too much force…” He murmured, twiddling his fingers. “I-I can open it again, though!” He offered, but Flug was quick to refuse his help.

“No! You’re just going to open a hole in my wall. You clearly don’t know your own strength.” He scolded, narrowing his eyes and analyzing the remaining options. Besides the thousands of dollars in damage a hole on the wall opened by a careless hero would cause, Black Hat would surely want to know how the hole ended up there in the first place, because neither the scientist nor Demencia had enough muscle strength to do it, and 5.0.5 would never do such a thing, as he knows the consequences it would bring upon him. Without noticing, Flug started walking around, trying to think of a plan. They could no longer use that window. The nearest exit was a window in Demencia’s room, and going there was a risky plan. There _had_ to be something else…

“Then what do we do?” Flug paused at that. They only had one option left.

“We have to find another exit.”

The two froze when the room’s door slowly opened. _I thought I had locked the door_ , Flug thought, aghast, watching it intently, hoping Black Hat didn’t decide to check his room for no reason. Once the door had been opened and a certain blue bear was within view he sighed in relief, but Phantom was still tense. Flug wouldn’t be surprised if he thought _this_ was Black Hat. “5.0.5, where is Demencia?” He asked. Instead of answering, the bear closed the door behind him, looked at the newcomer in concern, and then at Flug, as if he were a complete stranger. _Oh, right, I don’t have the bag on_ , he remembered, trying to remain calm. He knew the bear wasn’t judgmental and saw the beauty in any and every creature, so having him see his face wasn’t that big of a deal. “It’s me, Dr. Flug. This is what I look like under the bag.” 5.0.5 nodded slowly, trying to understand their situation, and then pointed at Phantom, tilting his head. “Ignore him, he’s already leaving. Do you know where Demencia is?” 5.0.5 directed his attention to Flug once again and pointed downwards. “She’s downstairs?” He nodded. “Do you know where Black Hat is?” The bear shook his head. “Crap…”

“Okay, what is happening here? Why is there a blue bear-looking _thing_ here…? And why does it have a flower on top of its head?” Phantom questioned in mystification. He couldn’t wrap his head around the concept, and Flug thought it was understandable, since there weren’t many creatures like his creation roaming around the town, but they would waste too much time talking about his failed experiment, and they couldn’t afford that. At this moment, time was crucial and precious. 5.0.5 looked less than pleased to be called a ‘thing’, backing away slightly in self-consciousness as his flower withered and dropped down.

“There’s no time to explain. You’re still in danger.”

“Oh, right…”

“5.0.5, can you come with us?” The bear hesitated. He clearly didn’t want to get in trouble. They were all painfully aware of what Black Hat was capable of when he got angry. Dr. Flug himself knew this plan was hazardous, but there would be a much bigger problem if Phantom stayed. Seeing as the bear didn’t budge, Flug came up with a new tactic: bargaining. “How about we make a deal, then? If you help us, I will tell you where I hid the chocolate cookies.” 5.0.5 perked up immediately upon hearing about sweets, and then nodded in agreement. Dr. Flug knew he was making a mistake, considering he hid those cookies for a good reason, but they needed the bear’s help at the moment. He could lie in his bed and ponder about his bad life choices and their long-term consequences once they were done. “Good. You—” he pointed to Phantom, who stiffened. “—hide behind 5.0.5. He’s big enough to be able to cover you.”

“What?” Phantom asked, scandalized. “What if he eats me?” Flug rolled his eyes. He was unable to put his frustration in words.

“5.0.5 won’t eat you, he would never do that. My boss, on the other hand…” And he trailed off, leaving the rest to his imagination. He watched in pleasure as Phantom paled and gave in, dragging himself towards the bear with some suspicion. Once they were all set, Flug clapped his hands together as if he weren’t dead inside. “Great! Here’s the plan: we avoid Black Hat, go to Demencia’s room, open her window, we let you go, and you _never_ try this again. It’s very simple, you can’t fuck this up. _Understood?_ ” His voice was firm. Phantom swallowed and nodded. 5.0.5 did the same. “Alright, then it’s time to put our plan in action.” Taking a deep breath, Flug opened the door and peeked outside. “The halls are empty. Let’s go.” 5.0.5 followed the scientist with Phantom right behind.

“Okay, so, quick question: why does your boss hate me when he doesn’t even know I exist?”

“… My boss is an alpha, and he is very territorial. He hates when strangers trespass his domains, alphas or not.” Dr. Flug wanted to talk about how (apparently) no one but Black Hat himself was allowed to be near ‘his omega’, but he would rather keep this fact to himself.

“Oh…”

Flug stilled once he heard footsteps coming from behind them, a familiar spicy scent getting stronger and stronger. He looked around frantically before spotting a room right ahead. Grabbing Phantom’s wrist he opened the door and shoved the hero inside. The room was dark and windowless and creepy, but, in Flug’s honest opinion, it was better than being killed or severely injured by a demon. “Stay here and don’t make a sound.” He told Phantom with narrowed eyes before closing the door. “Act like nothing happened.” He told a disconcerted 5.0.5 as he leaned against the door, as if the hero could try to escape, even if his life was in danger. He hoped Phantom’s scent wasn’t strong enough to be noticeable and go through doors like Black Hat’s. Both the scientist and the bear stiffened once their boss was within view.

“Doctor Flug.” Black Hat’s throaty voice echoed through the long halls.

“Y-yes, mister Black Hat, do you need something?” He asked, taking a step forward.

“I—” Black Hat started before he cut himself, staring at Dr. Flug as if the omega had grown a second head. The doctor tensed at that. “… Where’s your bag?”

There was a pause.

Then there was realization.

“I… forgot… the bag…” The doctor whispered, more to himself than to Black Hat, promptly hiding his face with his hands in shame. His hypertrophic scars and scabs rubbed against the palms of his naked hands, reminding him of their shameful existence. His face was burning, he was sure, and, because of his pale skin, the blush was more than noticeable. Flug didn’t know if his heart was beating anymore, but it didn’t matter, he didn’t care. He was so engaged in his plan to get rid of Phantom that he didn’t realize he hadn’t put his bag on before leaving the room. Dr. Flug wanted to blame Phantom for his careless mistake, but he couldn’t. He could only blame himself. He waited for Black Hat to say something, maybe mock him about his appearance or laugh — he wouldn’t blame his boss, he often laughed at himself too —, but nothing came. “S… Sir…?” He asked hesitantly, looking up. Black Hat was seemingly frozen in place.

Dr. Flug was going to repeat the question but stopped once his boss took a step forward. His scent had become indistinguishable and his face held no emotion whatsoever. He flinched and recoiled, pressing himself against the door once again, when the demon extended a gloved hand to touch his face— to touch his _scars_. He didn’t want to be touched. It was bad enough for him to touch his own scars, but someone else? He wouldn’t be able to handle it. He could bite anyone’s hands off if needed. This scenario was all too familiar. Noticing what he’d done, and the way he pathetically shied away, Flug looked down and tried to pretend he didn’t want to shove his head into a hole on the floor, much like an ostrich. This day couldn’t get any worse, could it? He tried to suppress a panic attack. This wasn’t happening, this wasn’t happening, this wasn’t happening, _this wasn’t happen_ —

_“Thomasin.”_

He shivered as his biological name left his boss’s mouth, taken aback. There was no sentiment present in his voice tone. The unpredictability left him high-strung. He expected Black Hat to order him to put a paper bag on to cover his hideous scars, he expected him to scoff and turn away, he expected him to scold him for trying to escape from his touch, or maybe even glower at him for being such an incompetent idiot. It didn’t matter what he said or did, because Flug knew he would completely deserve it. “Yes… sir…?” He asked, trying to be as cautious as ever. Anticipation consumed his soul. He let out a (barely audible) shaky breath. Black Hat analyzed his scientist from head to toe. He looked fragile, scared, anxious, ashamed… The demon felt weak for a brief moment. He had to resist the urge to cosset him. Thankfully this was easier with the lack of scent. He focused on what he was there for.

“Here’s the next project. You have a week.” He informed Flug coolly, handing him a piece of paper. The younger one nodded, taking the paper from his hands and looking at everything but him. The carpet suddenly became more fascinating than his boss’s stare. Black Hat rolled his eyes at the scientist’s standard behavior and headed to his office without expecting any sort of reply.

Dr. Flug bit his lower lip, only looking up when the spicy scent had dissipated completely, and then shoving the paper inside one of his pockets without caring about whether it would end up wrinkled or not. They had no time to waste and he was already attempting to suppress a panic attack. “5.0.5, open the door.” He ordered, hoping the bear didn’t notice his voice was weak and curt. He did not bother turning around, because he didn’t want to face Phantom at this moment, or else he would end up punching him. 5.0.5 struggled with the knob, considering he had paws instead of hands, but it was only a matter of seconds until the door was open. Flug tensed once Phantom approached him and began heading towards his laboratory before any conversation was initiated. “We’re going to the lab.” He informed drily.

“I thought we were going to Diana’s room?” Phantom asked, confused. Flug ignored his slip-up and 5.0.5 wasn’t able to correct him.

“Change of plans. We’re going to the lab. There’s a window there.”

“Alright, then…” The hero couldn’t help but notice how the other’s demeanor had abruptly changed. His responses were short and vague when they weren’t before. Could this have something to do with his boss and their conversation? Phantom could listen to their conversation without a problem despite being in another room, and he had so many questions. However, notwithstanding his doubts, he decided it would be better not to bother Thomasin for now. He had gathered enough information to answer some of his questions. Apparently the one he had to fear was called Black Hat, and that would explain the mansion’s… _peculiar_ shape. He also said something about a bag…? Did Thomasin wear a bag on his head? He couldn’t wrap his head around this. _He’s so beautiful, why would he do that?_ Phantom asked himself, eyeing Flug intently. Black Hat also said something about a project—

“We’re here.” Flug announced, voice void of any and all emotions. Phantom raised an eyebrow. What had happened between him and his boss to leave him like that? He was so out of character, so _lifeless._

“Do you know what’s wrong with him?” He whispered to 5.0.5, who grunted something unintelligible and shrugged, looking as concerned for Flug as the hero was. Flug opened the door to his laboratory. Phantom sighed in relief. He felt a little more reassured knowing he would no longer be out there in the open, where this ‘Black Hat’ could easily see him. The lights automatically turned themselves on, allowing the trio to survey the lab properly. Blueprints were scattered around the floor, most of them wrinkled and even torn in half; the table was full of beakers and flasks containing bright, colorful, and unknown substances inside; various empty tests tubs were neatly organized in a rack made specifically for them; multiple metallic parts lied around. Phantom blinked: that place was a complete mess, and yet it was endearing. He was so occupied looking around he did not notice Flug calling his name.

 _“Phantom!”_ He snapped when the scientist barked his name, patience running out.

“Is this where you work, baby?” His voice tone indicated a combination of shock and amazement. It was as if this was the first time he had ever seen a laboratory. “This place is so cool!” Phantom’s behavior indicated he wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon, and this enraged Flug. After everything that man had put him through, he still wanted to stay and pretend things were cool between the two of them after all the shame and embarrassment and fear he’d gone through? He couldn’t comprehend it. Because of Phantom he had forgotten to put the bag on, and both 5.0.5 and his employer had seen his face. He would never forget Black Hat’s reaction and how he extended his hand in an attempt to touch his scars, and how Flug flinched and backed off when he did. Blood rushed to his face, and the tears followed thereafter. He had been chagrined, he had been oppressed, he had been hunted, and he had been laughed at. Wasn’t this punishment enough? What else did the world want from him? What did he do to deserve this besides _being born_?!

“ _Go_ ,” he said lowly, looking down. His long bangs hid his face, impeding Phantom from seeing how plaintive, pathetic and miserable he looked. He just wanted some peace _alone_ , why could no one understand and acknowledge that? 5.0.5, despite his difficulties, managed to unlock the door and fled from the laboratory, knowing things would get ugly soon enough, and leaving the two of them alone; he couldn’t care less about the cookies. The hero knew the single word uttered was an order for him to leave. He should’ve listened. It was crystal clear that Flug didn’t want him there. However, it was his duty as a hero to aid innocent civilians with their problems, and he couldn’t help but notice how his friend wasn’t acting like himself. He needed to make sure he was well before he left.

“Baby, are you okay?” Phantom asked, using the same pet name he’d used during their conversation on the phone, and, when he received no answer, took a tentative step forward. He extended his hand; his fingers were a few inches away from Flug’s face. “Ba—”

_“Stay away from me!”_

Phantom recoiled in horror as Flug slapped his hand away and gave him a murderous look. “Just. _Leave_.” Those two words carried an unbearable amount of hatred and venom, and yet the hero did not move from where he stood. The scientist’s teeth were gritted, his breaths were short and hasty, his hands were curled into fists, his eyes narrowed, and his body was tense. He had never seen anything like this before. Not even his father’s rage bursts were so intimidating and pitiful at the same time. Phantom only wanted to help him. Why was he so mad anyway? There had to be a reason— there’s _always_ a reason.

“I won’t leave until you tell me why you’re like this.” He informed, taking a decisive step forward.

“ _Stay back_.” Flug warned dangerously, taking a step back to restore the previous distance between them. He hugged himself as tears rolled down his cheeks. _You’re pathetic,_ a small voice hidden at the back of his mind said. Flug could see the voice’s grin despite its invisibility. The worst part was that he knew it was true. _Pathetic, useless, worthless, broken, disposable, lesser, dense—_

“Thomasin, it is my duty as a superhero to ensure the safety of the citizens of Hatsville, physical or mental. If you just let me help—” He paused, raising an eyebrow and sniffing the air. “What’s that smell?” And with that he breathed in again. Flug’s breath hitched for a moment before he mimicked Phantom’s action. His heart might’ve skipped a beat. It was _his scent_. “Smells like flowers. It’s very nice…” _This can’t be happening_. His last scent blocker was supposed to last until around 4 pm. _Does that mean I’ve just— no, this can’t be…_ Flug had laughed when his oldest sister, Rosemary, told him omegas could cancel a scent blocker’s effect at will when they got too stressed. He had laughed because it sounded ridiculous. It _was_ ridiculous. He’d searched various articles, browsed through thousands of sites, read hundreds of books, and there was no evidence whatsoever that confirmed this fact. He had assumed it was a myth that they would tell omegas to keep them calm and submissive, and nothing more than that. Unfortunately, he found the truth out in the worst situation possible.

_He had just countervailed his scent blocker’s effect upon getting stressed over Phantom’s defiance._

Flug grimaced when Phantom sniffed at his direction. He was praying the hero didn’t realize _he_ was the source of the scent. “Is that coming from you?” He asked with a smile, moving towards him. Flug’s mind blanked. More tears rolled down his cheeks and his breaths quickened. At the moment he was hoping to die of dehydration or have a brain aneurysm. Phantom seemed too occupied appreciating his scent to realize how he was at verge of having a panic attack. “That’s a really nice perfume. It almost smells like… an… omega…” His smile dropped, realization dawning upon him. He took a step back, as if sharing oxygen with an omega could kill him. “… You’re… an _omega_.” He stated, dazed. “ _You… you are an omega._ ” His words held disbelief and certainty at the same time. Flug couldn’t hear him. He was hyperventilating. Black spots danced in his vision. It was like the day before both his runaways over and over. He could feel _his_ hands on him, touching him, whispering filthy phrases in his ear, laughing at his pleas for mercy… In a blind panic, he did the only thing he could think of.

Flug screeched at the top of his lungs.

He wanted everything to end. He wanted this continuous suffering to stop. He wanted people to react normally when he told them about his secondary gender. He wanted to be treated like a person, he wanted his accomplishments to be acknowledged, and he wanted his identity to revolve around his personality and characteristics instead of his secondary gender. _He just wanted to be normal._

He froze when a hand flew to his mouth, cutting his meltdown short and bringing him back to his senses. Phantom’s hand was pressed against his mouth as he stared in horror. He was saying something, considering his lips were moving, but no sound left his mouth; but Flug couldn’t hear anything but his own heartbeat. The first thing he did once he snapped back to reality was shove Phantom aside using all of his remaining strength. Once the hero was out of the way he dashed to his work table and used it as a support. His breathing was heavy and uneven. He felt a second attack coming, but, instead of fear, he started feeling something— a feeling that came from the bottom of his being, slowly fluttering to the surface. Flug’s hands curled into fists as he shook and the feeling took over, dominating his mind, whispering things, that feeling, so palpable and foreign…

**_Rage._ **

With an inhuman strength he didn’t know he possessed, Flug grabbed his test tube rack, made a 180-degree spin and flung it across the room, aiming at one single target: Phantom. The hero’s eyes widened once he realized what was happening as he flew up. The rack collided against the wall and broke into pieces, wood and glass flying everywhere. “What the fuck are you doing?!” Phantom asked in incredulity, pressing himself further against the ceiling. He’d never seen anyone act this way, not even the most enraged of alphas. Seeing this behavior in an omega was unheard of. It was unnatural, it was _scary_.

“This is your fault!” Flug bellowed as he grabbed one of his flasks and tossed it at Phantom, who dodged once again. The green liquid that the flask contained evaporated as soon as it touched the ceiling and the broken glass fell to the floor. Phantom watched everything in horror and confusion. It was clear that Flug was, at this very moment, as stable as an IKEA bed on clearance.

“What? How is it _my_ fault?!”

“You came to my house—” the scientist started, voice low and toxic as he grabbed a new projectile: a beaker containing a pink solution which wasn’t harmful to anything but living beings; when it came into contact with the skin it would leave severe burns. It was perfect. Flug wanted him to suffer. His rage encouraged him to do it— no, it _ordered_ him to do it, “—, tried to kidnap me—” he gripped the handle until his left hand started to hurt, “—, locked yourself in like an imbecile—” he aimed, “—, and you stressed me until I canceled my fucking scent blocker’s effect!” and he hurled the beaker at the hero, who avoided it in the nick of time. Phantom lowered himself until he was in front of Flug. He knew approaching the angered omega was risky, but he couldn’t let Flug’s rage control him like this.

“Thomasin, please, I know I am an idiot sometimes and I rarely try to use my brain, I admit, but you must stop—”

“ _No alpha tells me what to do with my life!_ ” Flug bellowed with a dangerous gleam in his eyes as turned around and dragged his hands across the table, dropping every item that was there. Reports, blueprints, flasks, and beaks: everything blended in a huge mess of mysterious fluids and broken glass on the floor. The noise produced was loud enough to be heard throughout the mansion. _Good_ , Flug thought bitterly. He wanted the whole world to see and hear his rage. Before he could toss the table across the room like he intended to do, someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. He fell to the floor comparatively harshly, but did not care about the pain that spread through his back. Phantom then positioned himself on top of him, pinning his limbs to the floor. The doctor began to panic once he registered what was happening. “Let me go! Stay away from me!” He wanted to shout, but whimpered the words out instead. He no longer had any energy left to yell or fight Phantom off. He was vulnerable.

“Snap out of it!” He said, tightening his grip on Flug’s wrists once the omega started squirming. “Please, Thomasin, I know you’re not like this, just—”

“ **I wasn’t expecting guests so early in the morning.** ”

Both Phantom and Flug stiffened at the taunting comment that came from the door. Flug closed his eyes and accepted his unfortunate fate. He already knew who the voice belonged to. The smell of irate alpha quickly spread throughout the lab. Despite the evidence of his anger being in the air, Black Hat remained calm and composed, wearing his classic toothy grin. “ **I assume you’re the one called ‘Golden Boy’; how terribly rude of you not to warn me about your little visit.** ” Phantom shrunk under his glare and recoiled, trying to stay as far from Black Hat as he could. Flug sat up once he no longer had anyone pinning him to the floor, rubbing his sore wrists. The demon glared at him and examined the state his lab was in before adjusting his gloves and eyeing the hero. “ **It’s very impolite to harm my employees. It seems like a punishment is in order. I hope your eternal stay in hell is pleasant.** ”

Once Phantom realized what the last phrase meant he flew up in an attempt to escape. Black Hat audibly sighed before his tendrils caught the desperate hero by the ankles, dragging him down. Flug snapped out of his trance once Phantom hit the ground with an audible ‘thud’. That’s when regret immediately hit him. He didn’t want this to happen. He didn’t want to hurt anyone anymore. He just wanted the hero to be gone, alive and whole. Why couldn’t solutions be that simple? No matter how much he struggled or tried to escape, Phantom couldn’t. The tendrils that wrapped themselves around his limbs and tightened at every second were too strong. “W-who are you?” He asked as he was held in place, having already given up. He knew resisting was useless and only going to prolong his inevitable demise. Black Hat scowled at him.

“ **Do you not know who I am?** ” His tone was serious and hostile, but Dr. Flug could also hear some indignation in his voice.

“B-Black Hat…?” It was nothing more than a whisper.

“ **Correct.** ” The demon then grinned, removing one of his gloves to reveal razor-edged claws which had the capability of tearing anything apart. Most humans never survive with the deep lacerations inflicted upon them. When they do survive, however, they are in so much pain they literally beg for death. Black Hat’s grin widened once he remembered their pleas, wishing to hear more come from the pathetic creature he was about to eliminate. “ **It’s quite unfortunate that we don’t have more time to know each other. What will your last words be?** ” Phantom froze as his breath hitched. Thomasin had asked him the same thing less than thirty minutes ago, and, like Black Hat, he was teasing. However, their types of teasing differed from each other; while the doctor was only mocking him, his boss is torturing his prey before delivering the final blow. He should’ve known it would end that way. He closed his eyes, accepting his death—

“ _Stop!_ ” Someone yelled; someone that wasn’t Phantom.

Black Hat shifted his gaze from the hero to his employee. “ **What makes you think I will do that, doctor?** ” Black Hat asked, frowning. Flug averted his gaze, not knowing how to answer the question without sounding pathetic or compassionate or both. “ **I sincerely expected more of you, Dr. Flug. To be captured by such a feeble hero wannabe is truly a shame for a villain. I, however, wouldn’t expect anything less from a human.** ” He turned to Phantom, who was watching in confusion, picking a few pieces of the conversation, trying to figure more things out. _Doctor Flug? Is this his real name, or is it an alias like mine? And… d-did he say ‘villain’?!_ He asked himself. Flug wondered how his boss knew Phantom was a hero, but remembered about his outfit, which was already enough proof. “ **I have an idea. I will use your corpse as a scarecrow. It will teach stupid heroes like you what happens when you trespass my property and _attack my omega_.** ” Phantom barely had time to react when he was thrown across the room. The impact wasn’t enough to open a hole against the wall like usual, but it was enough to damage it.

“Wait!” Dr. Flug yelled one more time. He’d just had an epiphany.

“ **Doctor, I have already told you to _stay out of this_!** ” The eldritch yelled as he proceeded to drag Phantom’s body around like a ragdoll, impairing the laboratory even more. Phantom cursed mentally as he tried to fly above one more time. Feeling amused by the hero’s efforts to escape, Black Hat let him go, pretending it had been an accident. He had many tactics to make heroes suffer, and they were all equally pleasurable, but one stood above the rest: give them hope. He also found their reactions very interesting. Some heroes — the weaker, stupider, more gullible and younger ones — were thankful for his apparent pity; others — the smarter, stronger, narcissistic and prideful ones — were offended. Of course, all of them would end up dead, so their different opinions didn’t really matter.

“S-sir!” Dr. Flug called, but Black Hat paid him no mind as he used two of his tendrils to catch the flying hero and haul him down once again. He knew it was his omega instincts speaking, but he couldn’t let anyone else get hurt. This was also his fault. Phantom wouldn’t have been caught if he hadn’t lost control and let his rage take over. Black Hat had surely come either because he heard the sound of shattering glass or because of his panicked screech. At this moment, Dr. Flug had lost all of his inhibition. He would do anything to get his boss’s attention, even embarrass himself. “ _Alpha!_ ” He called, standing up. His vocal chords were sore from having screamed so much earlier.

Flug had to stop and wonder if that word was some sort of lost ancient spell because, as soon as it left his mouth, Black Hat froze completely, letting go of the severely injured hero who did not bother getting up; he just lied there, immobile, and his chest’s movements were the only indication that he was still alive or barely hanging by a thread. “S-sir…” He took a deep breath, trying to organize himself. “I… H-he’s a hero, right? That means he defeats villains. A-and villains need weapons to defeat heroes. I-if you kill him then there won’t be heroes to defeat and weapons to be bought. I-if you let him live, however, more heroes will buy your merchandise, sir.” Flug only hoped Black Hat forgot about Captain Justice’s existence. The demon considered his idea for a second.

“You’ve convinced me, doctor.” He turned to Phantom, who was already healing from his injuries and trying to get up. “I’ll set you free this time, little bird, but if you step in this manor one more time, no matter the reason, I will slice your throat.” The hero nodded, slowly backing off. “Oh, I’ve just remembered: before you go...” A tendril wrapped itself around his throat and pressed him against the wall. Black Hat loomed over him. “ ** _Never come back._** ” Phantom nodded and, as soon as the tendril disappeared, he bolted from the lab through the window, breaking it in the process.

Flug sighed in relief, glad no one had died that day, but held his breath once his boss approached him. “S-sir, I—”

“What did he do?”

“What?”

“Did he harm you?”

“N-no…” Black Hat nodded, circling him.

“Be thankful I haven’t killed your little friend, doctor. He knows you’re an omega, which is a problem. I admit telling him this was an error.”

“He already knew.” Flug informed his boss, hugging himself once again and accidentally releasing more omega pheromones. He couldn’t blame his boss for backing away as soon as that happened. He had to admit his own scent was dazing. “I… My older sister once told me omegas could cancel their scent blockers’ effects when they get too stressed. I thought she was lying, but… it’s true. I did it. I didn’t know I could… I don’t know…” It was like the foundations of his life were falling apart. He didn’t know scent blockers could fail. It shouldn’t be a surprise, considering he bought scent blockers meant for alphas (because buying the ones meant for omegas would be too suspicious), but still… He also didn’t know why it didn’t happen sooner, considering he was a bundle of anxiety and stress.

“We’ll have to limit your time outside and be more cautious with your scent blockers, if this is the case.” Flug bit his lip.

“Why?”

“You are my scientist and I will not tolerate having people steal you from—”

“I wasn’t talking about that.” He didn’t care about having interrupted Black Hat, something not even the mightiest heroes have done. He was desperate for answers. “Why do you keep me around? I’m just a burden and nothing more. You have to constantly worry about me being taken away or being courted by another alpha and releasing all of those stupid pheromones. Why don’t you do us both a favor by hiring a beta and kicking me out?” Flug wanted to know. Why did he even bother keeping him around? He would’ve asked him why he didn’t hire an alpha, but his boss was too territorial for that. “I’m hopeless…” The scientist breathed out, more to himself than anything. Black Hat rolled his eyes, leaning against his cane. He didn’t seem to be as bothered with Flug’s omega scent as he had been before.

“No, you’re not.”

“Huh…?” It was a simple phrase, but Flug still managed to fail at comprehending it.

“Flug, as I’ve said previously, you’re a good scientist. You have much more potential and I do not make my decisions based on your secondary gender… _mostly_.” At least he’d admitted that. “I will not fire you or kick you out because you’re a fucking omega. _Never_ ask me this again.” He swallowed, trying to control his nervousness and avoid releasing more pheromones. Dr. Flug was thankful his boss didn’t alpha command him on that last part, at least.

“Y-yes, sir…”

“You’re free to go.”

Flug ran to his room as soon as Black Hat uttered those four words.

He ran and never looked back.

**_.  .  ._ **

Dr. Flug had been reading a book when his door was kicked open.

His knee-jerk reaction was to fling the book like a boomerang at whatever had dared invade his room. If the intruder was Black Hat, he would be able to avoid the projectile easily, and would also probably be angry because a book had been thrown at him in the first place. If it was 5.0.5, the bear was so fluffy he wouldn’t even feel it. If it was Phantom, he would completely deserve it. But, of course, the intruder _had_ to be Demencia. The book hit her square in the face and she stumbled backwards as a result from the impact. Flug hid his face with his hands, trying not to groan or laugh or both. He was thankful for having put his bag and goggles on as soon as he reached his room. “You lost this,” the lizard-girl suddenly said, dropping the book on his lap. The scientist jumped and looked up, seeing how she was still grinning like usual, despite having been hit by a flying, thick quantum physics guide and sustaining a bloody nose.

“Demencia, you have a nosebleed.” He informed her matter-of-factly, and immediately regretted it once she started licking the blood that ran down her nose, probably to annoy him. It worked. “Don’t do that!” He scolded, disgusted and appalled, grabbing a handkerchief from one of his pockets and using it to clean her nose. Demencia rolled her eyes.

“Okay, _mom_ ,” Flug flinched as soon as he snapped from his automatic nurturing trance.

“S-sorry, omega instincts.” He apologized before stilling.

 _Shit_.

“Ah, I remember now, I wanted to talk to you about that!”

“About being sorry? You’d better be. You just kicked my door open and I really like that door.” The last thing Dr. Flug wanted was a broken door to match with his broken window. His poor furniture had suffered enough for today. They didn’t deserve to be impaired by crazy idiots. Demencia jumped on his bed.

“I was talking about this ‘omega’ stuff! What’s an ‘omega’?”

“Uh…” The only way to escape this hell was knock the hybrid unconscious and make a run for it, but Flug didn’t have the energy and guts to do that. Knowing Demencia, she would keep pestering him until he answered. “So, um, you know there are alphas and betas, right?” She nodded, leaning closer. He put a hand on her chest, preventing her from approaching him even more. “Stop that. Anyway, there’s a third secondary gender called ‘omegas’. Anatomically speaking, omegas are closer to alphas, because of their scent glands and the presence of the Inners. Their scent is different, however. An alpha’s scent is spicy and salty, while an omega’s scent is sweet and flowery; it’s not that hard to differentiate them. Uh, that’s pretty much it.” As much as he wanted to tell Demencia about how omegas were rare and wanted, he couldn’t bring himself to do it, and he _knew_ this would bite him in the ass sooner or later.

He shivered when she suddenly nuzzled his neck and took a deep breath as if he were a human-shaped cologne sample. Demencia always knew how to make him uncomfortable. “Hey, you have a flowery scent! Does that mean you’re an omega, nerd?” She asked. Flug bit his lip, nodding sheepishly. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together, even for a crazed person like her. “So you’re not an alpha? That’s so cool! That means we’ll be matching tomorrow!” _No, it’s not cool, it’s a fucking nightmare_ , he wanted to shout at her, but took deep breaths to control his temper. Demencia was still learning about omegas, and he never told her about their rarity, so she was _obviously_ going to assume they weren’t a big deal. He paused for a second, remembering her last phrase.

“Wait— what did you say about tomorrow?” Did… did she just say they’d be matching? What did she mean by that?

“Oh, I bought a perfume that mimics an omega’s scent and I wanted to know what omegas were and you’re the nerd here, _so_ …” Dr. Flug gaped at her in disbelief.

“You did _what?_ ”

“I used your credit card, by the way.” She sang.

“What the fuck?” He was aghast. He didn’t even care that Demencia had used his credit card — it has become a common occurrence at this point —, he was horrified because someone thought the idea of replicating an omega’s scent and turning it into a perfume was a _good idea_. Whoever did this was either oblivious to how society treated omegas or uncaring about how this product could easily ruin someone’s life. “Who the fuck thought this was a good idea?” Flug couldn’t understand it. He turned to Demencia, expecting her to miraculously have the answer. “Why the fuck did you buy something like that?” She shrugged.

“It said I would attract lots of alphas! Black Hat will finally notice me, especially when I use it at the party tomorrow.” Flug paled even more under his bag.

“You can’t do that!” He didn’t mean to shout, but he barely had any self-control anymore. He couldn’t let anyone think Demencia was an omega. She was annoying and often got him in trouble with Black Hat, but he didn’t want her to go through the same things he was forced to. He wouldn’t wish that upon his worst enemy. That party would surely have lots of alphas, and they would, without a speck of doubt, be attracted by the omega scent. Despite his concern, Demencia didn’t seem to be that worried.

“Why?”

“I…” Flug stuttered. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is stupid. Everything is so fucking stupid.”

“Alright, I’ll leave you with your existential crisis and go hate-flirt with Black Hat! See ya, Flugsies.” And with that said the hybrid sprinted out of the room, leaving Dr. Flug alone once again. _What do I do with her?_ He sighed, trying to find the page he’d been reading. He wanted to forget about this incident and leave Demencia to deal with the consequences of her stupid actions, but he couldn’t. Despite living by the words ‘play stupid games, win stupid prizes’, he couldn’t let her be taken away; the thought would make his stomach churn in disgust. Flug snorted. _Stupid omega instincts_ , he thought. His phone buzzed in his pocket as soon as he found the chapter he had been reading. The scientist picked his phone up, wondering who could be messaging him so early in the morning.

**_Golden Boy: hey babe, I just wanted to say thanks for rescuing me earlier. Your boss is crazy._ **

Flug paled once he managed to understand what had been written. Why was Phantom still contacting him? _He truly is an idiot,_ he concluded, biting the inside of his cheeks. “I have to put an end to this…”

**_You: Never come back._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get rekt Phantom.
> 
> Phantom didn't die today, guys. Maybe next time. Also, FYI: omegas CAN cancel a scent blocker's effect. It's very rare, but their hormones are stronger than an alpha's, so they MUST use scent blockers meant for omegas; Flug never does because it'd cause suspicion, so he's fucked either way :v
> 
> And oh boy, Demencia wants to use omega perfume, WCGW amirite?? We also have our poor babe Flug having a rage fit. Let's see how the masquerade ball goes~
> 
> EDIT: fixing some slip-ups, nothing major/plot-changing.


	7. To kill a demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phantom, Captain Justice, and a few superheroes discuss their options regarding Black Hat. Meanwhile, Dr. Flug finds himself having a one-way discussion with his boss's pet, Lil' Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: I forgot to add: mentions of non-con/underage. Sorry for forgetting to add that.
> 
>  
> 
> FYI, I re-named this chapter at least 5 times. Some of the best options were:
> 
> 1) Coworker dramatica (a play on Junjou Romantica I guess)  
> 2) The office, but better  
> 3) Your typical coworker drama
> 
> We also learn a little more about both Flug's past and Phantom's story, ooh~
> 
> Also, we went from 500 to 600 kudos already? Omg <3
> 
> Enjoy.

“Janus, where the fuck have you been?!”

Phantom winced, already having predicted this outburst as soon as he entered his house. He _knew_ his uncle would say something like this once he managed to escape Black Hat’s manor alive. It was understandable. He would yell at himself too if he was physically capable of pulling such a feat in his current state of mind. “I can explain…” He murmured with his hands behind his back, a poor attempt at hiding the already-healed wounds and bruises. It would have been somewhat effective if his entire body wasn’t covered in wounds of the same kind and origin as well. He figured they should be hurting, but the trauma acquired from his near-death experience numbed the pain entirely. His uncle only glared skeptically with arms crossed and a stern expression plastered in his face, and Phantom realized he was waiting for the aforementioned explanation. “Um… Remember that boy I said I saw at the park yesterday?” As expected, his uncle connected the dots and pinched the bridge of his nose in (supposedly) disappointment.

“ _Janus Christopoulos_ , please don’t tell me you’ve risked your safety and reputation because of a hopeless crush.”

“It wasn’t _hopeless_ , θείος!” He immediately responded, feeling like he ought to be offended. His uncle had always doubted his dating skills and he was tired of it. Sure, he could go a little overboard sometimes, but he wasn’t _that bad_ (or so he hoped). “I-I was sure he was _the one_! He was so handsome and cute and _normal_ … But it seems like I was wrong.” Phantom’s heart sank as soon as the word ‘villain’ repeated itself hellishly in his head. Thomasin was a villain? He couldn’t believe this— he refused to accept this. He didn’t look like a villain, or talk like a villain. He could disguise himself as a normal citizen and no one would bat an eye! _That’s exactly what he did, though_ , Phantom remembered. And then there was the fact that he was an omega… What could he do with this piece of information? It was the first time he’d seen an omega villain. Most of them were alphas or betas. An omega villain was unheard of. But, of course, a hero such as him—

“What happened this time?” His uncle’s peevish voice snapped him out of his trance.

“He was a villain.” The answer was as truthful as possible.

“… Well, that escalated quickly, but I guess it explains why you look like a used scratch post.” Said the older man as he spun on his heels and made his way to the kitchen. “I’ve received a call from the OHC. They have a reunion scheduled for today and we will be attending. Your information could be useful to them in some way.” Phantom nodded. The Official Hero Council was very serious and appreciative of any and every bit of knowledge about villains; whether they are threatening or not, it doesn’t matter. Their sole purpose is to eradicate evil and guarantee the safety of the citizens they’re supposed to protect, after all. Phantom was still nervous, however, since this was his first trip. His uncle, Jason Hathaway, currently known as Captain Justice, had gone to one of their reunions to register the two of them as official superheroes. He was aware of what was going to happen. “Do you think you can handle them?” The younger one raised an eyebrow at the question.

“What are you talking about?”

“The alphas, obviously. Do you think you can be around them?” While he sounded worried, Phantom could only hear the negligible teasing in his voice. It was nice compared to his previous outburst, but annoying nonetheless. Jason had always acted as if he could shatter at any moment. Of course he had been left like this because of his bastard (and poor excuse) of a father, but he could pick the remaining shards up and build himself again, even if partially. _It’s been six years_ , Phantom reminded himself. It’d been six years and he had a new life. He was no longer his father’s disappointment, he had powers, and he proved himself to be useful, even with his secondary gender’s multiple disadvantages. _I am okay_.

“Who do you take me for, θείος, a coward? I’m not just any omega. I can do it.” He answered matter-of-factly. Jason chuckled at his enthusiasm.

“I know you can.”

**_.  .  ._ **

It was refreshing to be back at his lab.

Dr. Flug never thought he would admit that, honestly. Most of his new injuries were there because of that laboratory and the dangerous contents (and visitors) it possessed, but, no matter how many times he hurt himself, he liked the place. It was like a second home to him. Developing Stockholm syndrome towards a laboratory was… _unusual_. Strangely enough, when he arrived at his lab, everything was perfectly arranged and the window was fixed. It was as if his spontaneous little fit of rage had never happened. Flug indeed wishes it hadn’t happened. He had lost control so easily, almost like an alpha… It was hilarious. Phantom’s reaction was just priceless. Even so he couldn’t help but feel kind of guilty, because the hero ended up badly hurt and almost dead. A part of him felt vindicated nonetheless, because that meant Phantom would never bother him again if he truly valued his life. “He’s an idiot.” The scientist found himself stating as he picked a certain crumbled paper from one of his pockets and analyzed it carefully as not to waste too much time. _A freeze ray, huh?_ It was a simple request, and he’d done freeze rays before. He could complete it in less than a week.

Dr. Flug tried to concentrate on his work, he really did, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Demencia and her damned perfume. He had tried to find her after he was done with ensuring Phantom would never contact him again but it was like she vanished from their dimension without a trace. Defeated, he headed towards his lab in an attempt to forget the incident. Most people would drown themselves in alcohol and drugs and chocolate, but Flug, ever the workaholic, would rather drown in science instead. He carefully strode around his lab, searching for the freeze ray’s old blueprint. He knew it was there… _somewhere_. _I guess this might be my fault_ , he admitted, browsing through one of the many drawers in his lab. If he had told Demencia how rare omegas were, and how aggressive alphas usually get around them, maybe she would’ve listened. _Who am I kidding? Demencia never listens_ , Flug scowled. “Crap…” He cursed, carelessly closing the drawer and moving onto the next one. “Where is it?”

The masquerade ball was less than forty-eight hours away, and if he couldn’t get that perfume off Demencia’s hands until then… He didn’t want to imagine the disastrous consequences. “Oh, there it is.” He announced to himself, snatching the blueprint from the disorganized pile and walking back to his table. It is a scientifically-proven fact that Demencia rarely ever thinks about long-time repercussions. After analyzing the blueprint — which proves itself to be harder when you combine dread and dyslexia together — Flug put it aside and started gathering the necessary materials. _Focus on your work, stop thinking about Demencia_ , he bit his lower lip, hastily grabbing a few pieces of metal and heedlessly throwing them at his table.

After Dr. Flug was done with picking the items he needed, he began to work.

First and foremost, he needed to build the gun itself and then install the power source. It was simple enough. He grabbed a few pieces of aluminum, then his welding torch and mask, and began working. _Should I tell her?_ He asked, placing the mask on his head and lighting the torch. _Would she listen, though?_ This question seldom has a positive answer. Demencia’s inability to heed the advice given to her was one of her greatest weaknesses. _Speaking of weaknesses…_ Flug sighed, letting go of the (obviously turned off) torch, taking off the mask, and buried his face in his hands. The image of him flinching away from Black Hat’s touch flashed in his head, making him blush and cringe. _You are weak_ , said that small voice in Flug’s head, and he bitterly agreed. How could he not? He was weak. It was more than just common sense: it was a fact. There were just _so many_ things that supported this fact.

He had allowed Phantom and the town to see his true face because, at that moment, he was not Dr. Flug but Thomasin Davison instead; he let 5.0.5 see his face because the bear could not speak and thus was unable to mock him, and he would never do that, considering he wasn’t a judgmental being; he did not want Black Hat to see his face at all, however. The demon was dangerous and unpredictable (yes, those two characteristics are correlated). Unlike Phantom and 5.0.5, Black Hat was capable of using even the most insignificant of information to his advantage. Upon letting his boss see his face, Flug lowered his guard and became vulnerable. He became weak. Weakness was not allowed if you were a member of the Black Hat Inc. Weakness was—

_“Alphas are not weak. If you’re weak, you’re not an alpha.”_

_It was like he could predict the future,_ Dr. Flug thought as he bit his lip so hard he was surprised it didn’t bleed. His father was always telling him things like that. It was always ‘don’t do this, alphas don’t do this’, or ‘true alphas do that and not this’; he quickly grew tired of the man’s presence and role in his life. His father was always busy with meetings and paperwork, so when he was actually home all he would do was make sure that his only son and heir was meeting his standards. When he presented as an omega at the tender age of eight, the gatekeeping stopped; to make up for this, the abuse grew. At first nothing seemed out of place. The whippings became more frequent and the distance between the two of them grew. Flug would be lying if he said he wasn’t relieved. Without his father watching his every move he was free to be whoever he wanted to be. He was free to be **himself**.

 _It’s been almost five years,_ he often reminded himself whenever he wanted to get motivated. It's been five years since he escaped from that hell and never looked back. Dr. Flug could not pinpoint the exact date of his plan’s birth, but he knew what brought the idea to life.

_Thomasin Mulligan sauntered through the long corridors of his house with a small but satisfied smile plastered on his face. He held a small bouquet of jasmines and roses in his hands. They not only reminded him of his scent but also looked beautiful together; white and red blending together, bringing different meanings and adding new ones to each other, something he could only describe as eye candy. He truly loved flowers. “I hope Lulu likes them…” He whispered, making a turn and heading to his sister’s room. His older sister, Luthien, had recently broken up with her boyfriend and she seemed really upset, so he figured giving her some flowers would cheer her up, even if just a little. Thomasin wanted to see her smile, for his sister had a really pretty smile. He would often tell her jokes just to see her laughing and generally being happy. He just needed to go through the living room and he would find Luthien’s room at the end of the corridor, it was simpl—_

_“Don’t you think this is a little half-hearted, Atticus?”_

_Thomasin halted. He recognized this voice. It belonged to the family friend, the also rich but polite and nice beta Basil Leblanc. With soft steps he sidled up to the living room while staying out of sight; the last thing he wanted was to be caught eavesdropping. He knew it would end up with his father running his whip across his back. He would never look forward to being punished, and yet it seems like fate thinks otherwise. Thankfully, he seemed to be developing immunity to pain, because the whippings didn’t hurt as much as they did before. He snapped back to reality once Atticus grunted in response to his friend’s question before deciding to give him a vocal answer instead. “Perhaps, but it is for the best. I’m sure he will get used to the idea. Well, I hope, at least. He can be rather dramatic when he wants to, but I’m sure this is expected of him. He’s just like his mother. Heloísa has always been a grenade of drama, but got oddly quiet when he was born. I sometimes wonder if she knew…” What were they talking about? There was a brief pause before his father cleared his throat and resumed his clarification. “Truth be told, I want to get rid of him. I don’t want an omega in my house.”_

_It only took eight simple words to shatter Thomasin’s spirit._

_“I’m sure the duke will take good care of him. He’s cared for omegas before. The boy will be in responsible hands.” Atticus sighed. Thomasin could imagine him placing a hand (always the left one) on his forehead like he always does whenever he’s peeved at something or someone; Rosemary theorized it might be a coping mechanism. “The main problem here is luring Thomasin into a plane to Scotland. He’s very smart, so it won’t take him long to realize what’s going on.” Luring him into a plane… t-to Scotland…? What was his father’s plan for him? The boy didn’t want to listen any longer, already nauseous and with a headache from thinking too much, but something told him he needed to know why his father wanted to do away with him so badly, and he definitely needed to know what his father had in store for him. He stirred once Basil coughed, clearly doubting his friend’s sanity and ability to ratiocinate like the businessman he was._

_“Still, Atticus, I think this is kind of twisted, even for you… How old is the boy? Twelve? Don’t you think he is a little too young for an arranged marriage?”_

_Arranged… marriage...?_

_… **Arranged marriage.**_

_It took Thomasin a few seconds to process those two words. His father had planned a bloody arranged marriage for him?! He couldn’t wrap his innocent mind around something so complex and adult-like such as an arranged marriage, and thus was unable to comprehend or accept it. He knew Atticus Mulligan was a heartless man but he didn’t think he would go this far… He didn’t want to marry so soon, and marry someone he didn’t even know, no less! He wanted to find true love like a normal person, but his father seemed to think he was some sort of exotic pet he could sell and buy whenever he felt like it. His body shook with rage as he controlled himself; he still intended to give Luthien those flowers and he didn’t want to smash their stalks. Those flowers didn’t deserve this. They did nothing, just like him._

_“He is currently ten, actually, and you’re right, he’s too young for marriage. I will wait until he is sixteen, but I must start thinking about the future, you see. I’ve already discussed everything with the duke and he’s agreed to wait.”_

_“Atticus, how old is the duke?”_

_“He’s probably in his late fifties…” Thomasin’s heart skipped a beat. He felt sick just thinking about it. Basil sighed._

_“Can… can we change the subject? I feel wrong discussing this.” There was a pause._

_“If you insist…”_

_Thomasin turned around and ran. He didn’t know where he was going, but he did know he no longer wanted to stay near his father. His heart was hammering in his chest. He didn’t want this, he didn’t wish for any of this. Why was he being punished for being an omega, something beyond his control? Why was the world so cruel? Why was his father so cruel? Without noticing, Thomasin found himself staring at the dead tree in their backyard. The tree, that was just as dead as him, often brought him comfort. He didn’t know why or how, it just did. He sat under it, eyeing the bouquet in his hands emotionlessly. There were no leaves left, just dry and lifeless branches. He bit his lip. “I’m scared.” He admitted to the tree. There was no response, as expected. Why would there be? Trees don’t talk. Sometimes Thomasin wished they did. He would feel less lonely. “Father doesn’t want me around. Do you think my mother would feel the same way if she were around?” There was no answer. “Father doesn’t talk much about her. He said she died in a plane crash. I don’t know if I believe him. He’s lied too much. I don’t know who I can trust anymore. What can I do?” He stopped, glancing at the sky. The sun shone gloriously in the sky. The sun… the sun was **free**. Thomasin blinked._

_“… I think I know what to do.”_

 

Dr. Flug snapped back to reality when he heard a hiss.

He turned around in a heart’s beat, ready to fight whatever or whoever had entered his lab, but visibly relaxed when he saw a giant, long and slender creature heading towards him, red eyes gleaming and scanning the new setting. Most people would piss themselves if they were in his shoes, but being in the same room as a giant snake had already become unusual. “Thank god, it’s just you, Lil’ Jack… How did you get in here?” _I swear I closed the door,_ Flug thought, taking one of his gloves off and extending a hand to pet the reptile who happily let him. The only explanation he had was that Lil’ Jack must’ve found a way through the air ducts. “Good girl…” He praised, feeling her dry scales brushing against the tip of his fingers. This snake was known for being able to eat a whole herd of cows and still be hungry, and yet there he was, caressing her. He knew Black Hat’s pet wouldn’t hurt him. She became less murderous — although still somewhat of an asshole — whenever he was around. Dr. Flug sometimes wondered why, but he couldn’t find an answer. He leaned forward. “I’m a villain, right? I guess this title should mean something to me…” The question hadn’t been aimed at Lil’ Jack, but she hissed in response nonetheless. Her long body swayed as she slid closer to him.

For some unknown reason, Flug found her presence comforting.

He was too tired to use a new scent blocker — and he knew it was futile because, sooner or later, he would stress over something and cancel its effect again — which meant his laboratory now smelled like flowers, giving him a headache. “I hate being an omega.” He spoke without thinking, but, quite unfortunately, it was true. His voice was low, almost a whisper, and held pure hatred. His whole body shook in agony. Memories and feelings resurfaced, tainting his mind. Lil’ Jack did not move from where she stood, unbothered by the scientist’s sudden change of demeanor. “I flinch whenever an alpha comes near me, and I’m treated like some sort of diamond ring, and… and…” Dr. Flug bit his lip and took a deep breath in order to rearrange his thoughts. “Black Hat acts like I’ll shatter if any other alpha touches me.” It might’ve been his imagination, but he was sure he saw Lil’ Jack perk up once her master’s name left his mouth. This gesture eased Flug’s mind; it meant she was listening. “I’m resilient. Well, that’s what I like to think, at least. I’ve endured years of abuse, both psychological and physical…”

_“You’re a disgrace!”_

“I…”

_“P-please, father, I promise I won’t do it again! Please, stop!”_

Flug bit his lip.

_“If I had known you were an omega back then I would’ve killed you at birth.”_

He tried to control his breathing without even noticing his lower lip had begun to bleed. “I don’t blame him.” He admitted. “I don’t blame Black Hat. It’s a biological reaction from his inner alpha. They’re made to think we’re all fragile and innocent because that’ll make them want to protect us. I just wish he’d look beyond my secondary gender sometimes…” Dr. Flug paused, hands curling into fists. He didn’t try to stop his lips from stretching into a wicked grin. “I guess this _is_ too much to ask. We’re just human-sized sex toys, after all.” His voice was dripping with bitter sarcasm. Lil’ Jack hissed dangerously, baring her incredibly sharp fangs, which indicated she thought otherwise. “Alright, then, we’ll agree to disagree.” The snake never responded. “What? Are you going to give me the silent treatment now?” He asked in mockery. Lil’ Jack smacked the back of his head with her tail. “Bitch,” she hissed in response, seemingly amused.

_We’re just human-sized sex toys, after all._

This phrase brought bad memories back. He tried to think of something else. He tried to focus on his project, with Lil’ Jack to make him company, but he couldn’t concentrate on anything else. He could only think of that day, and the last time he put up with his father’s bullshit.

 

_“You’re useless.”_

_Atticus’ words were slurred and low. His face was a little too close for Thomasin’s, and this made him uncomfortable. The smell of alcohol — Absinthe, he had definitely been drinking Absinthe — made the boy scrunch his nose up in disgust. His father was drunk once again. It was obvious. Whenever he drank, mostly to forget his problems and drown his sorrows, he would lose his inhibition and get awfully honest. He didn’t care about Atticus’ honesty, however. He just wanted his father to get off of him. Everything was a blur. He didn’t know if this was a nightmare or reality, but did it matter? He just wanted it to end. “You… You omegas are useless, completely useless. You’re useless, and you’re a disappointment to my family’s name. I should’ve gotten rid of you sooner. I-I’m sure the duke wouldn’t have minded fucking a ten-year-old.” He scowled. Thomasin bit his lip as he shook under his father’s glare and weight, his words stabbing his heart like spears made of ice. There was nothing he could do at this point. He was under Atticus’ mercy. He was nothing more than a puppet. Come to think of it, when hadn’t he been a puppet?_

_“I-I’m sorry, father…” He didn’t know why he was apologizing. He had done nothing wrong. He had never asked for this. He had never asked to be born, much less be born as an omega._

_“Shut the fuck up!” Atticus barked and Thomasin stiffened, closing his eyes and waiting for the worst. His heart thundered and his mind shut itself down. He didn’t know if he was going to have a heart attack or not, but he sure hoped he did. At this moment he just wanted to stop existing. Strangely enough, for a brief moment everything stopped. There was no screaming, no movement, there was just silence. Thomasin looked up. His father’s eyes no longer held contempt and anger like they did a few seconds before. No, now they were focused on his body, and held something else; something much, much worse: desire. “I guess… I guess there’s something you’re useful for…”_

_And with that said, he started taking his belt off._

 

Flug chuckled darkly. “I wish I had killed him.”

Lil’ Jack eyed him in confusion.

He paid her no attention and glanced at the clock to his left. “One o’ clock?!” He exclaimed in disbelief. He had wasted an entire hour ranting about his problems to a giant snake and having random flashbacks about his past when he should’ve been working. _Pathetic,_ he told himself. He could distract himself so easily, it was almost debilitating. “I’d better get back to work.” Lil’ Jack never left his side, and, to be honest, Flug was grateful for that.

At least he wouldn’t be alone for the time being.

**_.  .  ._ **

“Is there anything else you’d like to add, Daredevil?” Asked Commander Fistfight as he carefully reorganized his papers containing important information about villains; he would need to archive those later. Daredevil shook her head, eyeing her own newly-trimmed nails in boredom. The other seven heroes present seemed as disinterested as her. “Well, then, I have some important news, but I would like to ask: is there anything anyone else would like to say?” He questioned, stifling a yawn. The reunions of the Official Hero Council were just as tedious and uneventful as this one. There was rarely an interesting topic to discuss. The reunions were mostly composed of reports, paperwork, new information regarding minor and pathetic villains, gossip, and pep talk. Commander Fistfight, who was currently as entertained as the rest of the group, was the alpha leader of the OHC and organizer of the reunions, besides being one of the most well-known heroes in the United States. He had defeated countless villains and recruited many heroes to help their cause. People followed him, not because they were forced to, but because they looked up to him and genuinely wanted to help. His powers consisted of being able to fly, super strength, laser vision, and durability. He was also the most level-headed and calmest person of the organization despite his secondary gender’s stereotypes.

Daredevil was the second most powerful hero in the room. Like her pseudonym suggested, she was brilliant, sly, and cunning, besides being able to mock her coworkers about literally everything. Physical strength wasn’t her cup of tea, so she worked on maps and plans instead. You will often find Daredevil behind the scenes, guiding the heroes and showing them multiple possibilities, each with their positives and negatives. Most of her plans were bound to succeed and they were extremely meticulous and well-thought-out. She is one of the most vital heroes of the OHC. Most civilians, however, did not seem to appreciate her that much, especially considering she was a beta. There were a lot of rumors suggesting she and Commander Fistfight were having an affair, despite Daredevil coming out as both aromantic and asexual. One could often find her complaining on Facebook about this.

Next to her sat Thunder Flux, a hero whose powers were obviously tied to electricity. His main power, however, was being utterly _insufferable_. Thunder was constantly boasting about the superiority of his secondary gender — alpha —, his powers, his personality, his appearance, and basically everything related to him. He would randomly pick an innocent hero to spar with him, and if they declined he would start making chicken noises. He would try to make his scent as noticeable as possible and then complain that no girl wanted him. No one wanted to be near him but, because he was powerful and somewhat useful, they tried to at least be amicable. Civilians often speculated about Thunder Flux possibly having broken the official record for ‘most slaps received from random girls on the street at night’.

The only people that seemed to sincerely not want to stab him in the eye were his cousins and partners, Zipperzap and Donner. The two were very close, almost inseparable, and worked together on most occasions. Zipperzap, the older sister, was known for her inhuman speed and Donner, the younger sister, could control any electric appliances with her mind. They mostly helped Thunder Flux by defeating grunts and gathering information. The sisters were very shy and didn’t speak much to other heroes, choosing to talk to each other instead. They refused to talk about their secondary genders, but it was clear that they were betas.

Gamma, Delta, and Sigma were rather… _complicated_. They were triplets with very similar personalities. Some would say they could communicate with each other through telepathy since they are often seen completing each other’s sentences and responding similarly. Their powers held complex meanings. Gamma represented omnipotence; she could do many things, from walking through walls to moving things with her mind. Delta represented omniscience; he was very smart and capable of knowing personal things no one would admit about themselves. Sigma represented omnipresence; they could effortlessly teleport to various places at the same time. Their abilities were extremely powerful. However, there was a catch: they could only execute their powers if they all used them at the same time, which complicated things. They couldn’t afford getting separated or their powers would be meaningless, and this was their biggest weakness. Both Gamma and Delta were alphas, while Sigma was a beta. It would be very hard to notice this, however, since they used scent blockers, probably so Sigma wouldn’t feel left out.

And last but not least, there was Amaranthos, who was currently browsing through his phone. At first glance one would say he could be no older than fifteen, but Amaranthos was over a hundred years old. He was the result of a failed experiment. They had kidnapped him when he was only a child to be used as a lab rat. He never told anyone what the original experiment was for, but it apparently gave him immortality. He hadn’t aged physically, but was very wise and old-fashioned. Besides his inability to age, Amaranthos had a high endurance to pain and other chemicals, which meant he couldn’t be drugged until he was unconscious or overdose. Other than that, he’s never told anyone about his secondary gender and it remains unknown to this day.

Phantom, who had been watching everything and wondering when this torture would finally end, remembered why he had agreed to come: to talk about the one who had almost taken his life.  Without hesitating, he raised his hand, gaining the others’ attention. “Speak, Phantom.” Fistfight said as all eyes fell on the young hero.

“W-well, I decided to visit someone today—” Captain Justice coughed skeptically and Phantom glared at him before continuing. “—and, uh, I may have ended up in the house of a villain. I think is name was Dark Cap or something like that…”

“ _Black Hat_.” Commander Fistfight spat, almost as if the name could eat him from inside out. “Did you encounter him?” He seemed genuinely interested. Phantom nodded.

“He almost killed me. Thankfully the person I was seeing convinced him to let me go, but now I know they work for him.” He elaborated, crossing his arms and leaning against his chair. “I knew I should’ve used Tinder instead…”

“You’re lucky, kid,” Amaranthos said, putting his phone down. _Now_ this reunion was getting interesting. “Most heroes wouldn’t stand a chance against Black Hat. He will eliminate those who dare cross his path without a second thought. The ones who have opposed him are dead or will be.” He’d seen it before. The demon did not play around. He was a merciless beast and he knew it, and he was always making sure the others knew it too. Villains and heroes all around the globe were aware of his capabilities. No one survives from his attacks. Black Hat wasn’t known for being merciful either, which was interesting. Amaranthos now wanted to know how his employee convinced him to let Phantom go. Perhaps they could use it as a weapon or a defense mechanism.

“He’s right.” Daredevil confirmed. “Black Hat’s killed more heroes than we can count. I’m pretty sure he exploded a planet too. And, before everyone questions it, I’m not going to make a Uranus joke.” The triplets snickered once they realized what she meant by that, but it only took one glance from Fistfight towards their general direction to shut them up immediately, almost like magic. The commander then looked at Phantom, who straightened his back.

“Black Hat is the most dangerous villain we know, but none of us is allowed to fight him just yet. He is too powerful. We need to find a weakness first.” The room fell silent. “Quite unfortunately, he seems to be indestructible. He is resistant to poison, fire and bullets, he can regenerate, he can shapeshift and rebuild things in a literal snap of fingers, and he is faster than all of us combined. We’ve yet to find something that harms him, even if ever so slightly.”

“You could insult his hat. I’m pretty sure that’d work. It’d harm his ego or something.” Phantom suggested.

“The last person who insulted him is now six feet under.” Thunder Flux said nonchalantly. His colleagues’ harsh glares could’ve turned him into stone, but he was oblivious to them. Flux had apparently grown to ignore criticism and basic social norms such as ‘don’t talk about your coworker’s death as if she were a Tamagotchi’ and ‘be less of an asshole, please’.

“Oh.”

“There wasn’t even a funeral. Black Hat buried the girl himself.” The same hero unnecessarily informed him. The room’s temperature rapidly dropped. “I watched the whole thing with my own eyes. Mockingbird was a brave soul. She was like a little sister to me, you see. We’ve never found her body and I still have nightmares about it.” He was now acting like a victim when he did not seem to care less about her death. The day after her demise, when people were still mourning, he brought ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ as a joke. No one spoke to him for a week after that, and he still had the guts to ask why. “You know, I think it’s kind of funny because there’s a book called—”

“Flux, this is enough.” Daredevil cut him off before someone decided to hire a hitman, considering Amaranthos and the triplets used to be very close to Mockingbird, but he ignored her.

“Aw, come on, it’s just a joke.”

“Some jokes aren’t funny, Thunder.” Amaranthos declared emotionlessly. Thunder Flux scoffed at that.

“You guys suck.”

“What did you just—?”

“ _Quiet!_ ” Commander Fistfight vociferated. The room dove into silence, but the tension was still in the air. “Phantom, I need to know the details. How did his person you were seeing convince Black Hat to let you go unharmed? This is important. We might have an idea of how to defeat that vermin if we understand how to influence him.” Phantom froze. He was divided between doing the right thing by telling them the truth or lying and preserving Thomasin’s dignity and freedom. He understood the struggle and the fear of one day having everything stripped away from you. He understood the sacrifices one has to make in order to preserve their liberty. He understood how omegas were treated unfairly and how they suffered. He had made a decision. He wouldn’t tell him about how Black Hat considered Thomasin’s opinion because he was an omega; Phantom was sure the demon wouldn’t bat an eye if he were a beta, but being called ‘alpha’ by an omega awakens a primitive need to check on them and accommodate them.

“Well, he argued that there wouldn’t be weapons to sell if there weren’t heroes around. That was it, I guess…” Fistfight nodded, resting his chin on his hands.

“This argument makes sense—” Gamma piped up.

“—because his business is selling to villains—” Delta continued.

“—who need heroes as motivation!” Sigma completed.

“This is creepy as shit.” Captain Justice murmured.

“You’ll get used to it… eventually.” Daredevil assured him.

“Well, unfortunately this isn’t of any use to us.” Commander Fistfight told them. “Black Hat is good at discussions. He’s a guileful bastard.”

“Hey, Phantom, I have a question for you.” Amaranthos raised his hand. “What did you do to make him want to kill you besides invading his property?” Phantom rubbed the back of his head.

“I _might’ve_ hit on his employee after jokingly threatening to kidnap said employee.” _And said employee is also an omega with a very overprotective boss_ , he completed mentally. The room dove into silence for a few seconds before it was broken by a raucous cackling. Apparently Daredevil thought this whole incident was hilarious. Phantom didn’t blame her. He would’ve laughed at himself too but he was too busy cringing at his atrocious choices and inability to think about long-term consequences.

“You sure fucked up, man.” She said between gulps of air. “Which one did you hit on? Was it the lizard-girl with a mental illness in Spanish for a name or the guy cosplaying Bucky McBadbat? Or was it the bear? Please tell me it was the bear. It would be hilarious.”

“Who the hell is Bucky McBadbat?” Thunder Flux asked her. “That sounds like a McDonalds meal promoting a Batman movie.” Phantom knew who she was talking about, although he didn’t understand who the ‘lizard girl’ was supposed to be.

“Oh my god, it’s him, isn’t it?”

“Flug Slys.” Zipperzap spoke up. Her voice was hushed, for she was very soft-spoken and timid, but it was still audible and that’s what truly mattered. “He’s a scientist.”

“Doesn’t that mean plane crash in French?” Thunder asked.

“German,” Donner erroneously corrected him.

“That’s a dog breed.” He rolled his eyes with an air of superiority.

He was promptly ignored. “It’s even more important to consider that Dr. Flug is Black Hat’s only scientist, his main source of income. Finding scientists that can make such deadly yet practical machines in so little time is difficult.” Amaranthos stated. “Recruiting him would be immensely helpful. Our team composed of ten people just barely meets deadlines.”

“Of course they barely meet deadlines. They’re all a bunch of idiots, especially that Vera girl. She took an entire week off, can you believe that?” Thunder asked, crossing his arms in apparent disbelief. Neither Amaranthos nor anyone else could believe this was actually happening.

“Thunder Flux, her father committed suicide _in front of her_. She took a week off to attend his funeral and for emotional recovery. And, if I recall correctly, she works harder than you do and has less of an ego.”

“Still, this doesn’t excuse—”

“ _Gentlemen_ —” Commander Fistfight cleared his throat, trying to stop this argument from escalating to something much more disastrous. “—, please refrain from talking about Ms. Jackson’s personal life. This is a very touchy subject. Now that this is out of the way, let’s get to the point. As I’ve said before, I have some important news to share. We’ve recently captured a villain who was in possession of a party invitation.” Fistfight then pulled said invitation from the pile of paperwork he’d been organizing. “Apparently there will be a masquerade ball for villains tomorrow. The host is one of our main targets, Crowfeather. We’ve seized the invitation for ourselves and we can make more copies if needed. Our main objective is to spy on the villains and try to get as much information as we can, but we need volunteers.” The room fell silent for a moment, with the heroes eyeing each other, wondering who would be the first one to raise their hand, before Phantom dramatically rose from his seat.

“I volunteer as tribute.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References, references everywhere :v
> 
> The title is a reference to the fic 'To Kill a Mockingbird' which is referenced in the story. No, I've never read the book (sadly), but maybe I will one day. We also see Lil' Jack, BH's pet! Alan Ituriel never specified the gender so I went with a female. AAAND now you have more characters to hate, yay! Flug's asshole dad, Atticus Mulligan (now y'all know what the 'underage' tag is for), and some dumb superhero, Thunder Flux. Also, coming up with names for superheroes is hard. Commander Fistfight is from ProZD, I love this guy (he's my waifu). ALSO congrats you guys, most of you got Phantom's SG correctly, he's an omega. His story will be told as we go.
> 
> Unfortunately I couldn't do the ball yet but next chapter will be! Honestly, this chapter would get too long if we included it. This chapter is already 6.500 words long. BUT I can assure you guys there will be drama, alcohol, Jealous Black Hat and a plot twist involved. 
> 
> And before you guys ask, Phantom is greek, but his mother is from America. He also loves Hunger Games as you can tell. Oh, before I forget:
> 
> θείος = uncle.
> 
> EDIT: Donner was purposefully wrong when she said Flugslys is german, sorry for forgetting to add the 'erroneously' (knew I was forgetting to mention something :P). Oh and fun fact of the day: Flug's learned how to talk at least 17 languages growing up, one of them being Icelandic. He's only learned how to say 'hello' (Halló) and 'flight accident' (Flug Slys), though. He was obsessed with flight accidents as a kid because of his mother.


	8. Don't call it 'fate'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, Flug was wondering if he’d find his picture in a book about Murphy’s Law.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY HEAR ME OUT: THIS IS NOT THE BALL YET!!
> 
> Why, may you ask? Well, I WAS planning on doing the ball but it got WAY too long. You may think 'oh it's not THAT long'. Well, guess how many words this chapter has? 11.034 words, 18 fucking pages. Yep, you heard- I mean, read that right. I beat my record :P BUT this chapter has some REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION so you should def read it. And yes, it DOES have Jealous Black Hat. And Lil' Jack :D I promise, next chapter is definitely the ball, I promise.
> 
> Well, enjoy, I guess :P

Black Hat hated himself, he hated the world, and he sure as hell hated _feelings_.

Feelings reminded him of humans, which reminded him of _weakness_. Unlike him, humans let their ‘precious emotions’ guide them through life, and this was their biggest mistake. _No wonder they’re always dying_ , he thought. Black Hat, however, was sure he would never let this happen to him. He would never stoop so low. He was obviously superior! Why would anyone ever dare assume he would allow himself to become his emotions’ slave? It was utterly preposterous! Laughable, even. He was a creature of pure evil, and thus wasn’t allowed to show any positive emotions towards anyone. Nothing could’ve gone wrong… until it did. Flug Slys, his nervous wreck of a scientist, was a constant reminder of the existence of those disgusting types of feelings within him. Honestly, Black Hat wasn’t as surprised he thought he should be. He knew one of his human flaws would catch up with him eventually. He just didn’t expect it to be, out of all possibilities, _love_.

At first, Black Hat thought he was dying. That feeling of warmth whenever the younger man approached him was foreign and unwanted. He didn’t choose to feel this way, it just… happened. He couldn’t understand. Nothing worked. He was smart enough to realize what was going on rather quickly. He was having a crush on his scientist. Him, the terrible and fearsome Black Hat, was _in love_. When he first heard about this ‘love’, Black Hat thought it was a joke. He’d been around for five or six million years and he’d never heard about such a horrid emotion before humans started developing intellectual capacities. They were driven by a biological urge to reproduce instead of a vacuous sentiment. There were no kisses and hugs, there was no ‘I love you’, there was just intercourse. Love did not exist back then, and when it suddenly came into existence, Black Hat could not comprehend it.

Truth be told, he could barely understand anything about humans.

They were too distinct for him to be able to abridge them in a few words. He could barely explain his own scientist, for hell’s sake! The boy had guts, Black Hat had to admit. Not many teenagers — or even adults — are capable of looking at him without having some sort of apoplexy. Dr. Flug, however, instead of cowering in fear like the rest of his pathetic species, looked intrigued. There seemed to be a sparkle in his eyes (which was visible even behind the teen’s dark goggles), something he couldn’t put in words. It was almost like… _adoration_. Perhaps Black Hat was simply projecting, but something told him it wasn’t just his imagination. It was an unexpected reaction, especially from someone much younger and less powerful than him… And just when he thought he couldn’t get more infatuated with Flug, the scientist had to forget his damn paper bag! Black Hat knew he would never forget his own reaction. He simply _stared_ in downright perplexity, as if it was that hard to believe that the doctor did, in fact, have a face, and a _cute_ one, to top it off. Flug, on the other hand, seemed horrified, and the demon didn’t know why. He had nothing to hide, especially since Black Hat knew about the scars he hid, which were nothing short of intriguing. He sometimes found himself wondering what their backstories were.

Black Hat had received a call that morning from a new client named Doctor Evil — villains these days, always lacking creativity — who requested a freeze ray. His instructions were clear and he was told the ray would be in his hands in a week. Usually, knowing the freeze ray (one of his most famous weapons) was relatively easy to produce, he would give Flug a much shorter deadline, but he was suddenly reminded of the scientist’s dyslexia and inability to read properly, especially under pressure, so he decided to extend the deadline. Not that he was going soft on the doctor — him, the great and terrible Black Hat, going soft? Not in a million years! —, he just didn’t want to sell a malfunctioning product to his client, fouling his company’s name in the process. It was all in the name of his business and nothing else. He was not one to give in to his… _human_ side.

… Not normally, at least.

Black Hat was bitter. His mind had simply flat-lined once he realized he was face-to-face with Thomasin Mulligan. Not Flug Slys, but Thomasin Mulligan himself. He hated how he reacted to it: he froze, unable to do anything. And then, without thinking about his actions and their consequences, he reached for his employee’s face— no, he reached for his _scars_ , to be precise. It was a thoughtless move, he conceded. He wasn’t in the right state of mind at that moment. It was painful to watch the young man recoil — as if his touch could burn — and then have a panic attack. Seeing just how scarred Flug was, both physically and mentally… Black Hat felt the urge to _kill_. He would have, but he got hold of his instincts before taking any drastic measures. Those scars were too deep and random. Flug couldn’t have caused them, for he was a man of scrupulousness, which was something his job required. This only meant one thing: something— _someone_ else caused those scars. Someone had touched his scientist. Someone had _harmed_ his scientist. Black Hat knew one thing: this ‘someone’ would immediately regret having laid their eyes on his scientist as soon as he found out who they were.

No one touches his Flug and gets away with it.

**_.  .  ._ **

Dr. Flug yawned before setting the recently-finished gun down.

It took him a while but he’d miraculously managed to finish the body in less than twenty-four hours. Now all he needed to do was install the power source and test it out, and his project would be complete. It’d be a new record. He knew this would only take thirty minutes — an hour at most —, considering his previous experiences. The doctor blinked, his vision already blurry from the fatigue, but refused to give in. He was almost finishing the freeze ray. Besides, he was used to spending sleepless nights finishing projects. In fact, he had created a game specifically for this, mostly to keep himself entertained so he would forget about his tiredness: how long can Flug Slys go without sleeping? His highest score was six days before he fainted from utter exhaustion. This seemed to be his limit. Dr. Flug stretched before standing up to fetch the power source. Of course, because of his drowsiness, he tripped on something and almost fell down. There was a hiss of indignation before the scientist turned to face an angry snake. “Don’t look at me. Your tail was in the way.” Lil’ Jack rolled her eyes and withdrew her tail. They both paused as Flug’s stomach protested, demanding food, but the doctor simply scoffed and grabbed the power source, then made his way back to his table.

He didn’t have time to take care of himself at the moment.

Just as he put the extremely delicate battery on the table, Dr. Flug felt a tug on his sleeve. He groaned before spinning on his heels, the rapid motion leaving him dizzy for a few seconds. “What is it now?” His voice held nothing but annoyance. He was wasting time. Lil’ Jack hissed. His stomach grumbled once again. The omega went from mildly inconvenienced to deeply perturbed as his head began throbbing. The lack of food was starting to get to him and he couldn’t let that happen. “Don’t you have snake things to do?” And with that he went back to his work. He barely sat down before the snake put her head on top of his. Flug was nearly crushed under her weight. “Stop it! You’re heavy as hell!” The snake did not stop. In fact, she put more pressure on her head. Flug felt like his spine would break at any second now. “ _Lilith Jacqueline_ , I’m telling you to stop!” Not even using her alternative name — which she absolutely despised (it was understandable) — that had been given to her by Demencia did the trick. Lil’ Jack produced a sound from the back of her throat that resembled a laugh. It was eerie. “Alright, alright, I’ll get something to eat!” He carved. He could already feel his inner omega begging for him to eat something.

With a huff, he headed to the kitchen without looking back. Lil’ Jack silently followed him.

Dr. Flug’s steps were quiet and rushed. The manor was awfully calm that night, which meant its other inhabitants were either asleep or dead. Being the considerate person he was, and not wanting to risk waking them up, he did not dare make a sound. Lil’ Jack was also very stealthy — why wouldn’t she be? She’d Black Hat’s snake, after all —, so much that he could easily pretend she wasn’t there. The long hallways were cold and unwelcoming as always, and the darkness did not seem to lighten that creepy place up. There was that negative aura that lingered and consumed your soul, drowning it in fear and anxiety; Flug knew it had something to do with Black Hat, he was sure. He walked around very, very carefully so he wouldn’t trip and break his boss’s expensive vases and such. He didn’t want to get in even more trouble with that demon. He was already being held responsible for things beyond his control, such as being an omega in a household full of madmen. Letting a superhero inside the manor was also a reckless move, but Black Hat didn’t know he had let him in, he thought Phantom had entered on his own, and Flug wasn’t stupid enough to correct him.

The scientist was too lost in his thoughts to realize he had already arrived at the kitchen and failed to acknowledge the counter right in front of him, which he promptly bumped into. “Shit,” he cursed under his breath, suppressing a much louder tantrum. He wasn’t thinking straight. His mind was begging for him to rest. Flug, however, couldn’t give in. He would sleep once the freeze ray was complete. After the pain was gone, he took his gloves off, put them on the counter, and then turned the lights on. After the first step was done, he walked up to the fridge and checked inside, evaluating his options. He picked two eggs and walked up to the counter. Scrambled eggs were the only thing he’d learned how to cook without risking burning the manor down. 5.0.5 usually took care of the cooking part, but he was probably sleeping. Flug rummaged through the drawers searching for a fork and a bowl, but he could only find knives. His overworked brain managed to convince his naïve little self that he could _definitely_ work it out with a knife. He was too tired to think about consequences.

He should have thought about the consequences.

He put one of the eggs at the table in front of him while he used the knife to crack the other. He’d tried to crack the eggs using the bowl’s edge before and it always ended up in a messy disaster. 5.0.5 had taught him how to crack eggs using a fork, and he thought this method was much better than gambling with the bowl and egg. Surprisingly, the egg broke in half easily. Flug put the shell aside to throw it out later, but Lil’ Jack used her large tongue to snatch the shell and swallow it. He ended up staring at her for a solid five seconds, dumbfounded, trying to figure out the logic behind this. She simply laughed at him. “You’re weird,” he concluded, going back to what he was doing. Dr. Flug didn’t remember how it happened, but the knife slipped out of his hands, heading straight towards the floor. Now, there is a saying that goes ‘a falling knife has no handle’. He knew that, since he deals with dangerous tools daily, but, in the spur of the moment, his mind blanked as he reached for the sharp object. He did manage to catch the knife… by the _blade_.

Flug’s mind finally acknowledged the situation once he saw his bleeding right hand, followed by a nasty stinging sensation.

He analyzed the thin but still deep gash the knife had opened, trying to determine its severity. It was definitely serious, and he would need to cover it unless he wanted an infection. “Why did I do that?” He asked to no one in particular, filled with regret and holding his injured hand close to his chest while searching for bandages. He knew there were a few rolls in the kitchen (because of Demencia), but where…? They weren’t in the drawers, so he could already scratch them off the list of possibilities. That’s when he remembered: they were on one of the cupboards— one of the _extremely high_ cupboards. With a sigh, and still cradling his bloody hand to his chest, he tried to think of a way to reach it without creating additional injuries. “Oh, I know!” He told himself after having an epiphany, spinning on his heels and heading towards the fridge once again. The twin stepladder — which was used to reach the cupboards — lied against the fridge, where he’d last left it. It seemed like he was the only one who actually used that ladder, seeing how Demencia could walk on walls and 5.0.5 was tall enough to be able to reach the cupboards on his own, besides the fact that the ladder would probably succumb under his extreme weight. Lil’ Jack watched his actions with interest, or, at least, as much interest as a snake can possibly show.

Dragging the ladder around was a pain, especially since he was trying to be as silent as possible. After he put the ladder in a place he deemed satisfactory, Flug started climbing. His pace was slow as he tried to manage his balance, since he was using only one hand. The stepladder was incredibly rusty and coated in a thin layer of dust, and the last thing he wanted was to add ‘getting tetanus’ to his list of unlucky incidents. He had bought that ladder himself, because of his inability to reach high places despite his average height, but he didn’t bother checking whether it helped him reach the cupboards completely, and they didn’t, which is why he had to stand on his tiptoes to be able to get whatever he needed. Once he got to the top, Flug opened one of the cupboards and checked inside. There was one roll left, but it was behind a large brown bowl. He needed to calculate his next move as carefully and precisely as possible. He couldn’t afford making a mistake at this point.

He cautiously grabbed the bowl and put it under his other arm, making sure it did not enter in contact with his hand’s gash. He then leaned forward just a little, extending his hand as much as possible, until he managed to grab the bandage roll. _I’m still in one piece_ , Dr. Flug told himself, astounded. That’s when he realized he’d just jinxed it. He remembered the first time he thought that, seconds before he was almost killed by a flying car. He was afraid to move from his current position, but he knew he would have to, eventually. Trying to be careful, Flug started to slowly put some weight on his heels to counter the weight on the tip of his toes. It was simple enough, how could he possibly fuck it up? Well, everything becomes harder when one is on top of a ladder, holding a large bowl made of glass, and bleeding, whilst holding the title for ‘unluckiest person ever’. Dr. Flug only realized he put too much weight on his heels when the ladder started to sway under him. And then it fell— _backwards_.

Flug did not remember anything that happened while he was falling down. All he remembered was the ladder toppling over, him losing his balance, the sound of shattering glass, pain rapidly spreading across his back as his stiff body collided against the cold and hard floor, and the air escaping his lungs, making him see black spots dancing across his vision. The bowl he’d previously been holding was completely broken and some of the smaller shards were stuck on his hands’ skin. Lil’ Jack slid up to him, eyeing the mess he made in apparent disappointment and amusement mixed together. At this point, Flug was wondering if he’d find his picture in a book about Murphy’s Law. On the positive side, at least he got the bandages. Honestly, he just wanted to give everyone the middle finger and fall asleep right there, but this would not end well and he was in enough trouble already. The pain was still there, but it was much more bearable now.

Putting the bandage roll down to use his unharmed hand as support while being careful with the harmed one, Flug slowly sat up. He had forgotten that there were still some shards on the floor, and putting his hand on top of them reminded him of their existence as they pierced through his hand’s skin. His body protested as well, sending a bigger wave of pain that spread through his spine as a warning. He bit his lower lip, suppressing a groan of discomfort. Lil’ Jack noticed his struggle and let out another sound that resembled a laugh. He shot her a glare. She really was Black Hat’s snake. The resemblance, personality-wise, was clear. “Yes, laugh at my misery, you asshole,” he drawled. Even with the evident sarcasm his voice held, the snake did not stop. _This is my life now: pain, suffering, and talking to snakes, just like in the Bible_ , he tragically concluded.

“ ** _Doctor Flug._** ”

Flug froze. So did Lil’ Jack.

 _Black Hat_ , the name reverberated in the scientist’s mind. None of them had heard him coming. Either they had been too occupied thinking about Dr. Flug’s fall to hear, or the demon snuck up on them like a predator would sneak up on its victim. It could be both options, since they were both plausible. There was no time to think about that, however. The human could feel his blood running cold. First of all, he had broken a vase while attempting to make scrambled eggs _with a knife_. He had also stupidly injured himself with said knife, and then injured himself again trying to fix the first injury. A few days from now he will probably just laugh at his lack of critical thinking, but doing this now wouldn’t be a good idea. “Hello, sir,” he greeted casually, like he’d just encountered his best friend at a coffee shop after years of not seeing each other. Black Hat examined the kitchen, and then narrowly — almost judgingly — eyed his employee from head to toe. Flug couldn’t help but feel _vulnerable_ as he did that. Somehow, he managed not to show it.

“ _Explain_ ,” the alpha ordered. It hadn’t been an alpha command (thankfully), but it’d had the same effect on Flug.

“I was cooking…” He started, not knowing where to go from there. He couldn’t alleviate the story to make the demon less angry, because he couldn’t lie, so he should just try to omit a few parts. “… A-and I cut myself, s-so I decided to get some bandages…” His harmed hand unwillingly curled into a fist. He winced at the stinging pain. His palm was already sticky from the semi-dry blood. He couldn’t help but notice that the roll was still where he’d left it. Dr. Flug resisted the urge to use them right there and then. He knew this would, somehow, worsen the situation. “I used this ladder—” he used one of his feet to kick the twin stepladder gently. “—and it fell… I fell with it. And that’s it.” He tried to make it as uneventful as possible. If he wasn’t dramatic about it, Black Hat wouldn’t overreact. If he had exaggerated, the situation would be different. Oh, the perks of the butterfly effect…

“ **You bloody _idiot_!** ” Black Hat’s voice echoed. Flug couldn’t help but flinch at the unexpected shout that pierced his ears. The alpha immediately started releasing pheromones. The scientist expected them to be of an angry alpha, but… _they weren’t_. He was releasing protective alpha pheromones instead. Alphas release those pheromones when they are wary of dangerous things that may harm their omegas. Flug felt extremely uncomfortable just _knowing_ this. “You could’ve easily snapped your neck and died. I’ll let you know that, while I am extremely powerful, I cannot bring you back from the fucking dead, doctor. This was a foolish move.” He knew. He knew, and yet he took the risks and accepted the consequences. Black Hat was just ranting at this point. “You’re stupid— fucking _stupid_. Can’t you see you’re just—”

“—an omega,” Flug interrupted, staring at his boss emotionlessly, eyes narrowed. It was so predictable it hurt. He no longer cared about how his life was in danger, how he had defied the mighty and powerful Black Hat. He was tired of being underestimated simply because of his secondary gender when he was as capable as any other person. “Yes, I can see it. I can see it perfectly. In fact, I’ve been seeing it for the past ten years of my life.” Black Hat had been caught off guard. The scientist wasn’t scared, not at all. This was unforeseen.

“I wasn’t—”

“ _You were_.”

There was an awkward pause between them. It took the human a few seconds before he realized what he had done. “I-I’m so sorry, sir, I didn’t mean—”

“Quiet.” Flug complied. Black Hat did not speak anything for a second. “You’re right. I was,” the eldritch demon admitted, trying to be as monotonous and emotionless as possible. He then snapped his fingers and the multiple glass shards scattered across the floor and pierced into Flug’s skin flew to Black Hat’s hands before recomposing into the bowl the scientist had dropped. “And this does not change the situation.” He snapped his fingers once again, and the bowl disappeared. So did the ladder. “When was the last time you ate?” _There is no good answer to this question_ , the omega concluded. Alphas were extremely picky when it came to their omegas’ diets. He didn’t even know when his last meal had been, and the fact that he couldn’t remember was concerning, to say the least. He looked around, trying to find an escape. Lil’ Jack was already gone. Flug wasn’t surprised. The snake had already proven to be silent as her owner. He was hurt, however, because she’d abandoned him. _Traitor_ , he said mentally.

“I don’t remember…” He trailed off, hoping the demon would drop the subject. Black Hat’s face was unreadable.

“Go to your lab. I will order 5.0.5 to make you something to eat. Go.” Flug acquiesced. He did not want his boss to bother the poor bear so late at night, but he knew the alpha’s patience was running thin and that there was nothing he could do to change his decision at this point. Quickly standing up, he grabbed the bandage roll and left the kitchen. His pace was hurried but he did not dare run. Flug allowed himself to breathe once Black Hat was no longer within his view. Everything was going horribly wrong.

At least he got the bandages.

**_.  .  ._ **

“Kid, we need to talk.”

Phantom froze. No good thing comes after this sentence. He knew from personal experience. “Yeah, θείος?” He asked before remembering something important. “Oh, where did you put my invitation? The ball’s in less than a day.” Jason shifted, clearly uncomfortable. He had a look in his eyes, a look that the younger boy knew all too well. He needed a confirmation, though. “Is something wrong, θείος?”   There was no need to ask, to be honest. His uncle’s silence was already an answer. Yes, there was clearly something wrong — he could feel it —, but _what_?  The tension was almost palpable. Phantom was sure that he could extend his hand and catch it in the air. He should’ve asked the question again, but he didn’t. He waited as Jason tried to find his words, find a way to explain how he felt. The clock on the wall indicated it was almost midnight, but the younger boy didn’t feel tired at all. He was ecstatic. The thought of being a spy in a room full of villains was both frightening and exciting. He couldn’t wait. The silence was quickly interrupted by Jason who rubbed the back of his neck. Phantom then realized that his uncle was showing all the signs of someone who was going to give their young child bad news. This couldn’t be good.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Phantom only blinked in response. What did he mean by that? Seeing how visible his nephew’s confusion was, the older man decided to elaborate. “There’ll be lots of villains there, and lots of alphas. Lots of alpha villains… If they find out you’re a spy — an _omega_ spy — they’ll… They’ll…” He couldn’t bring himself to complete the sentence. The possibilities were endless, but they were all equally terrible. Jason didn’t see Phantom as his nephew, he saw the omega as the son he never had, and he didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. He knew how oppressed omegas were, so he tried to keep an open mind and let Phantom live his life, but the boy was just twenty-one; he was still young and stupid. He took a deep breath before forcing himself to continue. “There’s no shame in admitting you can’t do something. You have the chance to give up, Janus.”

“But I don’t want to give up!” Jason took a step back, taken aback by the sudden outburst. There was a fire in his nephew’s eyes— a fire no one could extinguish. “I know it’s dangerous, and I know what could happen to me, but nothing will happen. I’ll be careful with the scent blockers and all. Please, θείος, just trust me. I can do it.” Jason bit his lip.

“And what if you can’t?”

 _Distrust_. The word echoed inside Phantom’s head, taunting him, _mocking_ him.

“I can,” he assured Jason before heading towards his room. He then turned back to his uncle one more time. “Whether you believe in me or not, _I can_.”

**_.  .  ._ **

Flug had been working on the freeze ray — being much more careful than he had been before because of his recently-injured and bandaged hand — when he heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” he said out loud before focusing on his project again. The door was opened and the scientist heard a familiar grunt coming from behind him. “Oh, hello, 5.0.5,” he greeted the bear, putting the gun aside. The bear was holding a tray with some juice and a plate of scrambled eggs. Dr. Flug watched as the bear put the tray on his table. “Sorry for making Black Hat wake you up. I was going to cook it myself but he wouldn’t back down.” He sighed. The bear just nodded, telling him he was okay with it. It wasn’t the first time he’d been awoken in the middle of the night, and he had gotten used to it. “He’s been acting weird ever since I came out as an omega. I don’t like it. He acts like I can’t do things for myself because of my secondary gender. It’s just… _infuriating_.” He took a deep breath. 5.0.5 noticed he was releasing angry omega pheromones. They were less disconcerting, but still noticeable enough to make an alpha wary. The bear knew Flug wouldn’t hurt him, though.

“Sorry,” the human apologized, looking downcast. “It’s just that… This is my life now. Being submissive, quiet, obedient… I don’t want this.” He’d escaped for a reason. He couldn’t be treated as a pet. He did not belong to his boss, or the alpha next door, or _anyone_. He was free. He was himself. 5.0.5 simply nodded again with another grunt before turning around to leave. “Oh, and, before I forget—” the bear turned to him and Flug smiled. “—, the chocolate cookies are on the top cupboard, the one on the left.” 5.0.5 smiled back. He thought the scientist had forgotten about his promise. Truth be told, the bear had also forgotten about it as soon as he saw there was going to be some conflict between him and Phantom. “I promised, didn’t I? Oh, and I think you should wait until tonight. Black Hat’s already in a foul mood, I don’t think we should anger him more.” The bear nodded for what seemed like the tenth time that night before leaving.

Flug was alone…

… _Again_.

He couldn’t work while eating. He had tried doing it once and ended up losing his voice for an entire week. It was one of the most painful weeks of his life; being unable to communicate with Black Hat, Demencia and 5.0.5 without sign language was torturous, and sudden he understood the bear a lot more. Thankfully his facial expressions and body language helped a little. Dr. Flug took the paper bag and googles off, dragged the tray to the middle of his table and then whipped his phone out. If he couldn’t work on his project, he could at least watch a video or something. He chose a familiar news site, because he hadn’t checked it in weeks and felt the need to catch up with the outside world and their dull first-world problems. He had barely entered the site when his dyslexia started acting up, and it was worse than before (probably because of his tiredness). Dr. Flug, however, did not attempt to fight against it in order to decipher the words and their meanings, choosing to simply click on the video instead. He was going in blind, hoping he wouldn’t regret it. He had already done something he’s regretted, and the bandages covering his right hand were enough proof.

The video started with a blonde woman standing in front of a big mansion. She held a microphone in her hands and wore a big, forced smile. Flug felt weird for sympathizing with her when it came to fake optimism. He took a sip of the juice once she started talking. _“We all know omegas are extremely scarce nowadays, especially with their rapidly declining birth rate.”_ Dr. Flug choked on the juice he was drinking. After having a small coughing fit, he paused the video. There was something suspicious about this video, and he became even more hesitant to watch it when she said ‘scarce’ as if omegas were extremely popular children toys. Should he continue? It was a fifty-fifty chance. It could either be something horrible about his secondary gender or something important. Quite unfortunately, the video had piqued his interest. He should’ve read the headline. The scientist hesitantly pressed ‘continue’. _“For years it has been said that Daniela Levine, who belongs to the current president of Germany, is the youngest known omega, at thirty-seven years of age, but we’ve recently discovered that this is simply not true.”_ And then there was a transition.

Flug knew the rumors were false. He’d heard about Daniela Levine, who had been taken away from her parents in Colombia at only fourteen years of age, and quickly became famous for being the youngest omega, beating the argentine Beatriz Aguirre, who was forty-two. Flug knew it was a lie, but he wasn’t going to be the one to correct them. He also knew he shouldn’t comment on the woman’s choice of words, or, more specifically, the words ‘belong to’. It was harsh. They weren’t humans, they were belongings. How _dreadful_. The omega suppressed a bitter, sarcastic laugh, and ate some of his scrambled eggs instead.

 _“We’ve been informed that the most famous duke of Scotland, Goraidh Keir, known for having married exactly three omegas in his lifetime, is currently married to the truly youngest omega known.”_ Flug’s eyes widened as his chest tightened, realization hitting him like a truck without brakes. _Goraidh Keir_ … Wait— he _knew_ that name. How could he have forgotten? This is the man his father wanted him to marry. This was the duke he and Basil were talking about in the living room when he was ten-years-old, the alpha his father constantly wrote e-mails to. He shivered at the memory. It had been an accident. He didn’t mean to stumble upon his father’s e-mail account, but he saw one with his name as the subject and his twelve-year-old self couldn’t resist. Oh, did he regret his decision. His father’s e-mails about him were utterly disgusting. They not only described him physically and mentally, but also described his scent, his behaviors and habits, his favorite movies and pastimes, what he liked to eat, how he smelled like when he was arou— God, Flug couldn’t bring himself to finish the thought. It was absolutely terrifying, knowing that someone out there had this type of information about him… He felt dirty, repulsive, and _vulnerable_. He felt sorry for whoever was Goraidh’s current spouse.

Flug wanted to tell someone about his fears — anyone, really —, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to scare the long-suffering 5.0.5 with his unimportant problems, even when the bear was the most understanding creature to ever grace this hellhole they called Earth. Demencia would simply mock him nonstop because that’s how she is— it’s something expected of her. Black Hat… Oh, Black Hat would raise hell. It would be fun to watch, sure, but the demon was unpredictable and could easily get carried away. Besides, he could find that e-mail and read it. This wouldn’t be good. Flug didn’t know if he would be able to live with the shame.

 _“So, Mr. Keir, is it true that you are married to the youngest omega as of now?”_ The reporter asked an old-looking man dressed in fancy clothes. _So this is how he looks like_ , Flug asked himself, pausing the video and focusing on the duke’s appearance. His perfectly combed hair was composed of both strawberry blonde and white, probably due to his old age. His skin was already loose and dry, but it looked like he tried his best to mask this fact. Atticus had told Basil that he was in his late fifties when the omega was only ten. This meant the duke was now in his sixties. He continued the video, trying to ignore the fact that it could’ve been him. He could’ve been the one to marry this… _creature_ , and at sixteen years of age as well. It was disgusting. He could only weep for humanity and the path it chose to take.

 _“Yes, it is completely true,”_ Goraidh answered in a thick Scottish accent, face completely washed with pride. All Dr. Flug wanted was to wipe that cocky smirk off his face. _“Omega, I command you to come to your alpha.”_ Flug narrowed his eyes. Who could the youngest omega be? Would they be younger than him? He saw someone, a smaller, younger girl, moving towards Goraidh. Once the girl was within the camera’s view, the duke continued, wrapping a hand around her waist but barely acknowledging her presence. _“My little omega here is currently eighteen-years-old. She will become nineteen soon.”_ His brain blocked out the rest of his speech. His eyes were focused on the omega. A few bruises were visible and she was wearing a shirt that showed her shoulders, and, more specifically, the bite mark on her left shoulder, which indicated she was bonded to Goraidh. He wasn’t focusing on that, however, no matter how wrong is was. She just looked so familiar, and yet he couldn’t put his finger on—

… _No_.

It couldn’t be… Could it?

That girl…

That girl was Rosa Rivera. Rosa, his best friend, and the girl who was forcefully taken away from everything she knew. His heart must’ve stopped because he couldn’t feel it anymore. Dr. Flug bit his lip, turned his phone off, and sat in complete silence for what seemed like an eternity. He’d lost his appetite and wish to watch the rest of the video. He’d had hopes of finding Rosa again, thinking that maybe she had managed to escape, but he knew the chances were against her favor. Knowing she’d had the same fate he was destined to have… It was disturbing. He couldn’t believe it. Pushing the tray of food aside and putting his paper bag on alongside his goggles, he went to his room. He desperately needed to sleep in order to rearrange his thoughts. Flug could even hear Rosa’s voice as she called for help. His body shook, both in rage and fear. He blinked and found himself already in his bed, but he was unable to relax. There was nothing he could do; he was powerless, and it was the worst feeling in the world. A powerless villain was one of the most ironic things he’d ever heard. His eyelids started to flutter as his muscles began relaxing. As he fell asleep, one last thought crossed his tired mind.

Rosa was older than him.

**_.  .  ._ **

_Today is the day_ , Flug told himself.

He was currently taking a shower and pondering about his life. The hot water running through his body was pleasantly soothing and it sometimes helped him forget most of his actual problems. However, there was no way he could forget about them now. Not only did he now know where Rosa was, he also had to worry about the ball and what he should do if his scent blocker failed. It was pretty clear that they could do that, and he did not want anyone to find out he was an omega, especially villains. They could hurt him. His inner omega tried to convince him that it wouldn’t happen because Black Hat would be there, but Dr. Flug didn’t want to rely on the alpha — or _anyone_ — for protection. He had to be an adult and defend himself. There were two things that supported this: first of all, he didn’t need an alpha to use as a shield, even if society told him otherwise; second, he couldn’t count on Black Hat to be there forever. What would happen if some hired assassin came to the manor when the demon was away? There was a huge chance of him ending up dead, honestly, but at least he tried and that’s what truly matters. He fidgeted, running a hand through his hair. Why was he so nervous? He worked for Black Hat. No one messes with him or his allies. It’s an unwritten rule that all villains follow. What happened to those who did not follow this rule?

Well, none of them have survived to tell.

Once he felt acceptable enough, Dr. Flug turned the shower off and grabbed the towel from the hook to his right. Thankfully his hand had healed, although he now had a new scar to add to his collection. After he was completely dry, the scientist wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out of the bathroom just to be greeted by no one other than Lil’ Jack herself. He knew he ought to be embarrassed, because he wasn’t dressed, but it’s not like a snake cared about clothes. Flug scowled jokingly. “Be gone, traitor,” he ordered, waving his hand dismissively while the other held the towel. The snake, as expected, did not obey. She chose to laugh at him instead. He didn’t even know how she was physically able to do this, but he wasn’t going to question the anatomy of a creature that belongs to his boss.

He eyed the tailed tuxedo Black Hat had given him.

Dr. Flug was sure that a normal villain would use black as a representation of both evil and the color of their souls or something similar, and black was also the default color for tuxedos. Black Hat diverged from this path, however, because the scientist’s attire was white and blue. When the demon handed the tuxedo to him, the first thing Flug did was stare at it while wondering if he magically became colorblind or something. In the villain world, white represented purity, something he definitely didn’t have. In the end, he decided it was better to not question his boss’s choice and go to his room to prepare himself. To be honest, he actually liked the tuxedo. It would go well with his albino hair and blue eyes— _wait_ … Was _this_ why his boss chose those two colors for his clothes?! No, of course not, maybe it was just his dumb imagination… Right…? Besides, he was going to use his paper bag and goggles all night, so the colors wouldn’t really matter. _Stop, you’re overthinking, just dress up already_ , he scolded himself, grabbing the tuxedo and going to the bathroom. He wasn’t going to dress himself in front of Lil’ Jack.

Despite his efforts, he couldn’t concentrate.

Thousands of scenarios started playing in his mind. Someone flirting with him (although this was highly unlikely since he wasn’t physically attractive) and being mauled by Black Hat, someone hurting him and having the same fate, his scent blocker failing while he’s in the middle of thousands of alphas… He shivered at that last possibility, because it was the most realistic one out of them all. _Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think_ , his inner omega chanted. He was already getting stressed over things that haven’t even happened yet. It was hilariously pathetic. Flug simply finished dressing himself while thinking of positive things. He’d never worn a tuxedo before, but this one was fairly easy to put on. Black Hat had also given him shoes and gloves, but he would put those on later. The main problem was the blue bowtie, which he did not know how to tie. Once he left the bathroom, the first thing Dr. Flug noticed was that Lil’ Jack was still there. “What do you want now?” Lil’ Jack and Demencia thought alike. If they stay around you for too long, you can bet that they either want something from you or they will cause trouble. All Flug wanted was some calm before the imminent storm.

Lil’ Jack never responded, mainly because she couldn’t. Instead, she picked his paper bag up with her mouth and bolted out of the room.

Flug was left in a daze for a few seconds before everything dawned on him and he took off, running after her. “Give me that back, you oversaturated worm from hell!” He yelled, wondering how a giant snake could be faster than him. But then again, she was Black Hat’s snake. _Focus_ , he told himself, eyes glued to the snake in front of him. His hair wasn’t making things easier for him. His long bangs were constantly blocking his view, which meant that he now had to hold his hair back in order to see properly. He probably looked ridiculous, holding his hair back and chasing a giant snake holding a paper bag he could easily replace. Honestly, if he were the one watching this, he would laugh. He watched as Lil’ Jack disappeared inside one of the many rooms of the manor. As soon as Flug stepped inside the room, however, he was hit with a wave of regret. Why regret, you may ask? Well…

He was in Demencia’s room. And Demencia was in Demencia’s room. And he didn’t have a paper bag on.

Flug stared at Lil’ Jack. She glared right back at him. “ _Fuck you_.” He pointed an accusative finger at her. She only hissed in response, sticking her bifurcated tongue out for a second like a child. Of course, this was all a game for her. He then looked at Demencia, who had her mouth open, still holding a small make-up kit in one hand and contour brush in the other. “Um, what are the chances of you forgetting this ever happened?” They were almost nonexistent, and Dr. Flug knew that. He was surprised to see Demencia’s facial expression went from shock to a large grin followed by a high-pitched squeal. This was definitely a ‘zero percent’ chance. He was expecting a different type of reaction. After all, he was more of an average person when it came to his body, even if he’d been complimented on his appearance. Demencia, on the other hand… Well, she currently looked like an entirely different person. Her usually unruly hair was nicely combed and braided, along with multiple dark pink and neon green curls. Her sharp nails had been trimmed, she had actually brushed her teeth for the first time in forever, she was using mascara, and she had also applied make-up. It was weird seeing her like this, because he was accustomed to seeing Demencia barely caring about her physical appearance, but he liked it.

She was absolutely _beautiful_.

“Flugsies, is that you?” She asked, ecstatic, putting everything she’d been holding down in order to grab his shoulders. It hurt, but he didn’t dare show it. Flug thought that if her grin widened a little bit more it would tear her face in half.

“Uh, I guess…” He answered, unsure of what to say in a moment like this.

“I didn’t know you were _that_ old.” Her voice tone indicated she was making a joke. It took Flug a few seconds to realize what she meant by that, however. He felt like he should’ve gotten offended for being called old because of his hair color, but it was actually somewhat amusing because he never stopped to think about it. “I’m kinda disappointed, though. I thought you were a vampire or had a Medusa head or something.” The doctor didn’t say anything. He had been so distracted awing at Demencia’s change of appearance that he didn’t notice Lil’ Jack — furtive as she was — had left the room, taking his paper bag along. He didn’t know what she intended to do with his paper bag. Perhaps this had been her plan: 1) steal the bag; 2) make Flug Slys regret being born; 3) profit. “So, what do you think?” And with that she made a 360-degree turn, showing off the dress she was wearing. It was a long, off-shoulder ball gown, which was colored in a dark pink similar to the color of her hair and with green and yellow ornaments. It seemed like Black Hat was following a very specific color pattern by giving them clothes that matched with their hair and eye colors.

“It’s beautiful,” Flug told her, not taking his eyes off the dress.

“Aww, you flatterer!” She grabbed the make-up kit and walked up to him. “Come on, I’ll make you pretty! We’ll be on the limelight tonight!” The last thing Flug wanted was to be the center of attention, but Demencia would just keep insisting until he let her have her way, so he just gave in. If it ended up badly, he could always wash his face and put on another paper bag. She sat him on her bed and grabbed her things. As she started applying foundation to his skin, Flug started to space out. He suddenly started thinking about the video he watched last night. So Rosa was in Scotland… It was way too far from America. Would he ever be able to see her again? Would she remember him? She was twelve when she was taken away, old enough to remember him, unless they brainwashed her, of course. What if they did? What if—? “You’ll see, Fluggie, we’ll be the prettiest omegas in the party!” Demencia sang, seemingly proud, as she picked a different brush.

Oh…

 _Oh_ _no_.

“Demencia, please don’t tell me you want to follow through with this stupid idea.”

“I do!” She replied giddily, not even worried about the possibility of being kidnapped or raped. She withdrew her hand, analyzing her work. Flug had almost forgotten that she was applying make-up on him. He was focused on his new problem: Demencia and her damned perfume that he swore came from the ninth circle of hell and was made by Satan himself. “You look like Edward Cullen now.” And then she laughed. Flug wanted to know what she’d done to his face, but, at the same time, he didn’t. He wanted to live in oblivion, but his appearance couldn’t get worse anyway. “When we leave you gotta tell me how many people you kissed at the party, Fluggie.” She grabbed another brush and resumed her work. “Whoever kisses more people wins,” she proposed. Flug stared at her in disbelief. Did she really…?

“What,” he echoed dully. It wasn’t a question.

“Oh, extra points if you kiss Black Hat!” She suddenly remembered, blushing at the thought. “How do we keep a tally, though? Maybe using a notebook will work!” She was completely serious and this was worse. Flug’s mind stopped working for a brief moment.

“Demencia, I won’t go around kissing people.”

“Aww, but why not?”

“I don’t… You can’t… People won’t… _Ugh_ …” He didn’t know how to explain this to a lizard-human who’s never left that manor or gone past the mailbox. “You can’t just kiss whoever’s in front of you because this is not how society works, even for villains.” _And because I’m an omega, which means that if I kiss someone, even if accidentally, this automatically means I’m theirs according to society_ , he added mentally. The hybrid chose to ignore him and his explanation completely.

“Did you know there was a spider here earlier? It was huge! I called the bear to kill it and I was almost sure he was going to shit a brick. It was hilarious, you should’ve seen it!” She cackled at the memory. The sudden change of topics threw Flug off.

“This is _non-sequitur_.” He pointed out in annoyance.

“Oh, you mean those human-horse thingies?”

“Those are _centaurs_ , Demencia. Non-sequitur is an entirely different thing.”

“Can a centaur kiss a non-sequitur? What would their babies look like?” Did… Did Demencia think non-sequitur was a creature?

“Why are you like this?” Dr. Flug was starting to lose all hope.

“It’s in my blood, baby! I got the smart genes.” Demencia responded. Flug couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not, especially concerning the ‘smart genes’ part. “Besides, I know you wanna kiss people. C’mon, you’re hot, I’m hot, it works out; those villains will be throwing themselves at our feet and worshipping us like gods!” Flug’s mind stopped working… _again_. Did she just compliment him? ‘You’re hot’ sounded like a compliment. “I’m done! What do you think?” She grabbed a handheld mirror and offered it to him. The omega fearfully accepted, partially afraid of what he’d see. He knew stalling would lead them nowhere, so he brought the mirror up until it showed his face, and…

He was almost unrecognizable, and in a positive way! And, thanks to the foundation, his scars were barely visible.

“Am I dreaming?” He asked himself, blue eyes glued to his reflection in the mirror.

“I hope not. I worked real hard on this!” Demencia grabbed his forearm and forced him to stand up. Then she grabbed both ends of his bowtie and started tying it casually, as if she’d been doing that since she was born. “Also, this is my first time outside, so I want to have as much fun as I can! And because you’re my dear baby brother I’m dragging you down to hell with me. You know, like the twin towers during 2001! It’ll be so much fun!” _What the hell is the talking about? How does she know about 9/11? And how does she know how to tie a bowtie?!_ Dr. Flug asked himself, watching as she effortlessly and skillfully tied his bowtie. He was impressed, and even a little envious. “Do you think there’ll be alcohol at the party? I’ve always wanted to drink vodka. Blackie says he hates me ‘even more’ when I’m drunk because I do random shit and throw up everywhere, but I know he secretly likes it.” And with that she was done with his bowtie. “Easy,” she added with a smile. Flug eyed the newly and perfectly tied bowtie, awestruck. How was he only now suddenly discovering Demencia’s obscure skills?

“Thank you.” He lowered the handheld mirror. “How do you know how to do this?”

“I’ve watched Black Hat do it. _Three times_. I hid inside his wardrobe.” _Of course she did_ , Flug concluded, thoroughly unimpressed. “I also watch him sleep sometimes. I have a video. Wanna see?” He frantically shook his head, watching as his long albino hair swayed from left to right. Their conversation was going so well, when did it go wrong? The scientist pinched his nose, trying not to implode.

“Why are we having this talk? I don’t want to have this talk.”

“Why? I’m loving this talk!”

“It’s different. I’m a sane, rational person. You’re borderline psychotic.”

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Fluggie!”

“Do you even know what this means?”

“Yes.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes.”

Flug only groaned in response. Arguing with Demencia was pointless. The hybrid then decided she was done with their little talk and walked up to her wardrobe, grabbing a pair of pink evening gloves and a pair of bridal shoes. She dragged a chair to her side and sat down. “I don’t think you should use anything with heels, Demencia.” He sensibly suggested, sitting down on her bed again. The room the two were in was a mess, although a much smaller mess than he imagined. Some of her things were scattered everywhere, but he was yet to see cockroaches on the ceiling or posters of Black Hat everywhere. Before she could ask what he was talking about, Flug continued. “I already don’t trust you when you have your normal shoes on. Why should I trust you with shoes that have heels which you can easily use to stab someone?” Demencia finished putting both her shoes on. She then grabbed the gloves and proceeded to do the same.

“Because you love me and our relationship is based on trust?”

“Our relationship is based on me yelling at you to not lick my table, Demencia.”

“See? It’s like I said: based on trust.”

“What _is_ your definition of trust?”

“Letting me lick your table,” she answered nonchalantly.

“… I’ll be on my way.”

Dr. Flug stood up and headed towards the door. Demencia did not try to stop him. Maybe she was too focused on her gloves to argue. Watching the girl he skeptically called his sister putting on her shoes and gloves reminded him that he still needed to put on his own shoes and gloves. He hastily entered his room and was thankful to see everything in place, including his shoes and gloves, which meant Lil’ Jack decided not to steal anything else. Flug picked his phone up to check the time. _6:10 pm, huh?_ It was still early. The ball would only start at 8 pm, and it would take approximately twenty or thirty minutes to get there depending on what method of transportation Black Hat chose. They still had plenty of time left. Usually he would just go downstairs and work on his projects, but he couldn’t. First of all, he had spent all morning finishing the freeze ray, which was now complete. Second, this suit was new and probably expensive, and Black Hat would probably… do _something_ to him if he ruined it with chemicals and burn marks. Flug focused on his shoes. Tying them was easy. The gloves were easy to put on as well. To keep the tradition and to keep his ‘mane’ out of his face, he combed and tied his hair in a low ponytail using the hair tie he’d used before. Everything took less than five minutes. _What do I do now?_ He asked himself, before sniffing the air. A flowery scent invaded his nostrils.

_Oh, the scent blocker…_

How did he almost forget? God, this careless mistake would bring him a myriad of problems. Thankfully he had one in his drawer so he didn’t need to go to his lab. After cautiously applying the scent blocker, Flug headed downstairs, being extra careful so he won’t touch anything and get his gloves dirty. If he wasn’t going to work he could at least watch something on the television. He was almost reaching the living room when someone tapped him in the shoulder, causing him to yelp and spin on his heels. The person who touched his shoulder chuckled. “My apologies, I did not mean to scare you,” he said with a smile. The omega shivered at the presence, indicating the man was an alpha. Well, it was obvious considering his spicy scent, which was faint but still there. His golden hair was neatly combed back and he had piercing green eyes. He was wearing a black and gray tuxedo alongside a beautifully decorated black mask. _He’s kind of hot_ , Flug thought before blushing at the intrusive thought. How could he randomly think this? His inner omega was tricking his mind.

“U-um, how did you get in?” He instinctively asked, taking a step back to keep a fair distance between them. Thankfully, the man respected that and did not move from where he stood.

“A blue bear let me in. I have a pass.” And he held a white card with Black Hat’s logo between his index finger and middle finger. This meant he was a costumer. “You must work here, I presume? My name is Atomus. I’ve come to receive my new weapon. It’s an anti-gravity ray, if I recall correctly.” His voice was calm and smooth, and his British accent (combined with a pleasant smile) was a bonus. Atomus did not look like a villain at all. It took Flug a moment to process the man’s words and then find his own.

“A-ah, yes, of course…!” He stuttered out. Black Hat hadn’t told him about this client, but he had a pass, and a legit-looking one. It was only fair to assume he was being serious. He’d also been ordered to make an anti-gravity ray a few weeks before. He’d kept it in his room because Demencia could not be trusted. His inner omega started getting more and more anxious as the seconds passed, and he didn’t know why. “W-wait here, please, I’ll get it.” He started to walk away, but failed to realize there was someone blocking his way. It was only a matter of seconds before Flug bumped into a tall, dark figure. He jumped, heart leaping into his throat. So _this_ was why his inner omega was so agitated. There were two alphas in the room. One of them was incredibly possessive and the other… _I have to get out of here_ , he decided. “S-sorry, sir, excuse me—” He tried to leave, but Black Hat grabbed his arm and pulled him back. _This is how I die,_ the scientist thought, stiff as a board.

“You will stay where I can see you,” the demon spoke. He was calm and relaxed, but Dr. Flug was no fool. He could feel Black Hat’s pheromones, and wondered if the other alpha could feel them too. Perhaps he could; this was a warning for him to stay away. It was just annoying how his boss — or his boss’s inner alpha — thought he couldn’t defend himself or be in the same room as another alpha. He felt horrible for accepting it, but he couldn’t go against a demon on his own, and an _alpha_ demon to top it off. One alpha command would be enough to make him defenseless. “5.0.5!” Black Hat’s loud call made him jump once again. Atomus crossed his arms, smile never leaving his face. He seemed unperturbed and Flug was envious. The bear was at Black Hat’s side in mere seconds. “Go get the anti-gravity ray. It’s on the fifth room upstairs. _Be quick_.” 5.0.5 nodded and scurried towards Flug’s room. “You didn’t tell me you were coming.” The demon was addressing Atomus. The man nodded.

“Yes, and I apologize for the trouble, Mr. Black Hat. However, I heard that my ray had been finished and it seemed more convenient to fetch it right now,” Atomus responded. Dr. Flug tried not to tap his foot impatiently. When was 5.0.5 coming back so he could escape this uncomfortable hell? “I presume you will be attending Crowfeather’s masquerade ball,” he guessed.

“Correct,” Black Hat answered, seemingly not interested in pep talk.

“Then—” Atomus took a small step towards Flug, who took another (large) step back. It wasn’t intentional, but he was glad he did it. Conflict had been successfully avoided for now. He just needed to keep his distance and they could call this a somewhat calm evening. “—this must be your companion.” Flug was taken aback, especially because ‘companion’ meant ‘date’, and he was definitely not Black Hat’s date.

“N-no!” The omega sputtered with wide eyes before his boss could say anything. He didn’t mean to shout, but he was embarrassed and this was already making him nervous. He _did not_ want to cancel his scent blocker’s effect right after he’d applied it, especially in the middle of two alphas, one of which was already growing impatient. “I-I’m just his employee, nothing more, nothing less…” He hoped his clarification had been good enough. Atomus hummed, putting a hand on his chin for a second and closing his eyes, as if he were thinking deeply about something.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.”

“I-it’s Flug… D-Dr. Flug…” The villain nodded, extending his hand. Flug was hesitant to shake it. He could feel Black Hat’s patience running thin, and the last thing he wanted was a murder to ruin his night. Why was 5.0.5 taking so long, by the way? He should’ve been here ages ago… _Damn, I must’ve hidden the ray way too well,_ Flug thought, cursing mentally. Taking a leap of faith, the doctor mimicked Atomus and extended his hand as well. It was just a handshake, a formal greeting between two civilized people. This would only take two seconds of contact. What could possibly go wr—

Atomus took his hand and placed a gentle kiss on its back.

Flug’s brain flat-lined.

Then his heart flat-lined as well.

The scientist couldn’t form any coherent thoughts at the moment, except for one: _why the fuck is everyone suddenly gay for me? What did I do to deserve this? Am I being punished for my sins?_ Well, those were three thoughts, not one, but they could easily merge into one and still remain the same. He was sure his inner omega was dead, which could be a good thing, but not in this situation. He needed to think. What could he do? Should he kiss Atomus’ hand as well? No, that would be awkward… Run away? This would cause more problems, and leaving two alphas — an oblivious one and a possessive one — unattended was out of question. Dr. Flug was cornered. This was his doom. He should kiss his dreams and his life goodbye. It’s like the universe was conspiring against him. He was sure it was. What should he have expected? It was scientifically proven he couldn’t have a normal day. Things were bound to go wrong one way or another. Heck, he’d hurt himself making scrambled eggs _with a knife_. How stupid does one have to be to do that? And then there was Black Hat who was just _so_ sure he was a damsel in distress who was unable to do anything…

He’d changed after Flug came out as an omega. He became possessive… He became…

He became Flug’s alpha.

And yet Flug did not become Black Hat’s omega. It was one-sided and unhealthy— thoroughly _unhealthy_.

“What took you so fucking long?” Black Hat snapped, and Dr. Flug turned around. 5.0.5 was there, holding the anti-gravity ray and looking absolutely terrified. Yes, he could feel the doom in the air. The demon grabbed the device from the bear’s paws and handed it to Atomus, who grabbed a stack of cash and gave it to the demon in exchange. Their trade was silent. Flug would’ve appreciated the silence if he had been alone in his lab, but silence was the last thing he wanted in this case. He just wanted this nightmare to end.

“Thank you, Mr. Black Hat.” He bowed in respect, but it was a little too late. He’d flirted with Black Hat’s omega — Black Hat’s _possession_ — and this wasn’t good. This was not _good_. In fact, quite the opposite: it was bad, very bad. “It was nice to meet you, Dr. Flug. Perhaps we’ll meet again at the ball. Maybe we could call it ‘fate’.” And Atomus winked. He _winked_. Flug did not move from his place until the villain was gone, accompanied by 5.0.5. They had left. He was now alone with a slightly pissed off alpha. How did he get himself in this situation? He couldn’t even exist in peace without being bothered. He was indeed paying for his sins.

“U-um, I… I’ll just… I’ll just go…” He stuttered, before dashing upstairs and towards Demencia’s room, not waiting for any response from his boss. He needed to forget this. Maybe Demencia could make him forget this… Flug chuckled, feeling his heart sink inside his chest. Was it even there? He was sure it had melted off.

“I don’t have any luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> atOMUS YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD HAHAHAHA
> 
> Again, I'm VERY VERY VERY sorry that this isn't the ball, I tried but if I had added the ball this chapter would become long as hell and I've already wasted two weeks writing this. AAAANYWAY hope you guys enjoyed this. And the reason I stayed away for so long is because, well, tests. Lots and lots of tests.
> 
> I also wanted to thank you guys so much for the 712 kudos and 62 bookmarks, it means a lot to me :D ssooo that's it, see you next chapter.


	9. An omega's conundrum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Flug tried to tell himself that everything would be okay and that nothing would happen.
> 
> Dr. Flug lied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this chapter is long as hell XD I'm sorry for the wait, you guys! I just procrastinate a lot.
> 
> Also I'd like to thank Catallari for the fanart that I found at 3 am and I was just '!!!!!!' because it was 3 am and I didn't wanna wake everybody up. Like, it's really amazing, and the picture of the headcanon inspired Flug's mask, so credits to Catallari for the mask's inspiration! And seriously guys? 870 kudos and 80 bookmarks? I love you guys <3 <3 <3
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

“Hey, Flugbug, let’s dance!”

Demencia’s sudden request snapped Dr. Flug out of his current and completely justified existential crisis. He’d been there for at least half an hour, trying to calm himself down whilst listening to his sister’s incessant rambling about alphas and scents and dances, and had apparently started spacing out halfway through. He’d lost all interest in the masquerade ball after that villain, Atomus, kissed his hand, automatically winning a spot on Black Hat’s to-painfully-slaughter list. Besides, there was a possibility — a small albeit still concerning one — of him bumping into the man again. It wouldn’t be a peaceful encounter, that’s for sure, especially with Black Hat’s menacing presence, and he knew there was a very small chance of the alpha leaving his side. It was pretty clear that he didn’t trust his own underling, and this made Flug sad. He was angry, yes, but mainly disheartened. He had been employed by Black Hat for a reason, and that reason was that he was able to build highly complex but practical equipment for villains, automatically making him a villain as well, even if indirectly, and even if he felt guilty for doing his job sometimes. Flug knew that, no matter what he did, no matter how far he went, no matter how strong or smart or capable he proved himself to be, his omega status forced Black Hat to believe he would always need the protection of an alpha, and that any other alpha that was not him or an immediate family member was an imminent danger and needed to be eliminated. How could one genetic trait cause so much trouble? Why was society accepting this? Why was _he_ accepting this?

He didn’t know why.

And he would probably never know why.

“Earth to Flug, Earth to Flug! Wake the fuck up, dude!” Demencia started shaking him while keeping a firm grip on his shoulders. Needless to say, it hurt, even with her lack of long nails. Perhaps he should’ve been thankful that she had decided to trim her nails at the moment or his suffering would be multiplied by ten. “I was talking about the dance! Let’s go!” She reminded him, and Flug scoffed, hands tightening into fists as he avoided eye contact.

“Demencia, I don’t know how to dance,” he explained, trying to sound as disinterested and convincing as possible. It was a lie, however, because Flug knew how to dance. He knew very well— _way too well_ , to be honest. It had started innocently enough. A little after eavesdropping on his father’s conversation with his (alleged) best friend, Basil Leblanc, about his arranged marriage with Goraidh Keir, young Thomasin Mulligan decided to distract himself by giving his older sister, Luthien, the flowers he had bought for her, and, in return, she taught him how to dance. His steps were weak and way too slow, and he often dithered, but Luthien was patient. She had taught him how to move smoothly, the different positions and steps to different types of songs, and how to lead. They had danced all day long and he had slowly forgotten about his problems: the duke, the arranged marriage, his asshole of a father, his secondary gender and the problems it brought, _everything_. It was blissful and he would do everything to feel like that again, but Flug had reached a point where he could no longer ignore his problems and hope they would go away.

“Flug, you’re doing that thing again!” His overly-dramatic sister whined, plopping down next to Dr. Flug on her bed and snapping him out of his line of thought.

“What?” He questioned, asking for a clarification. Had he missed something?

“You _know_ ; that thing where you just stare at nothing for a few minutes like you’re re-thinking your miserable existence in a nihilistic and not-so-subtle way.” Flug stared at her for a few minutes, trying to process the whole phrase. When he was done, the only thing he could think of was _‘okay, wow’_. There were no other words to describe how he was feeling.

“That was… very _specific_ , Demencia.”

“Oh, like that ocean?”

Dr. Flug narrowed his eyes, stupefied. “That’s the Pacific— seriously, what’s up with you and your tendency to switch similar-sounding words?”

“Don’t know. Maybe it’s just one of my many talents.” Demencia shrugged, but a playful yet malicious grin crept across her face once those words left her mouth. Flug wanted to argue that misunderstanding words wasn’t a talent (it was more of a curse, actually), but he knew she wouldn’t listen. One of her ‘talents’ was to ignore any and every advice and constructive criticism he gave her. The two sat in silence for a few awkward minutes before the hybrid reached her limit of impatience. “I’m _so_ bored!” She cried out, standing up and forcing Flug to stand up as well. “C’mon, let’s go downstairs! I’ll teach you some moves and we’ll seduce everyone at the party! You know, _sibling power_! Maybe we won’t even need to spike their drinks!” Her smirk widened once she uttered those last words, and Flug could see a familiar glint in her eyes, a glint that he was well-acquainted with, and a glint that he hoped he’d never see again. This glint was the reason why glitter was permanently banned from that manor. Demencia grabbed the scientist’s wrist and the two of them left her room — she was barely unable to pass through the door because of her large dress —, heading towards the stairs. She was going to make him dance whether he wanted it or not. The problem was that he didn’t want to dance. He just wanted to forget about his current problems caused by his secondary gender and wallow in self-pity. Why was this so hard to understand?

… Maybe he should just play along and let Demencia have her way. There would be less destruction if he agreed to humor her. Besides, dancing wouldn’t be so bad. He had yearned for some distraction from his problems — namely, Atomus and the kiss on his hand — and the perfect activity had been right in front of him this whole time. He was starting to think that dancing with the lizard-girl wouldn’t be so bad, after all. Yes, he had gone to her room to forget about his bad luck, after all.

They were almost reaching the staircase when, with no previous warning, Flug’s vision blurred and his body drooped forward, making him almost unable to balance his weight. He had quickly recomposed, however, and Demencia never noticed what had happened. She just continued dragging him like a ragdoll as they made their way down the stairs. Perhaps he should be glad. Dr. Flug didn’t want to worry her. He focused on the stairs and his own steps instead, not wanting to fall down like a sack of potatoes. He was going to ask her to let go of his wrist (because she was holding too tightly) when they reached the bottom of the stairs and his chest suddenly tightened, air escaping his lungs, his body quivering, muscles stiffening, both mind and heart racing, vision blurring once again, and all of his problems came crashing down on him at once, leaving a feeling of dread. At this point, a simple blow of the wind was capable of tearing him down. Flug could only question himself. What was happening? Why couldn’t he move? Why was he feeling like this? He was fine just a minute ago. His throat tightened, making him gasp for the much needed air and, before he knew, he was on the floor, struggling to regain control of his senses, hanging onto his last strands of sanity. That was it. He was officially dying. It was either that or— Wait, maybe he…? No. _No_. Was he really…? No, he couldn’t be having a panic attack; not here, not now. When was the last time he’d had a panic attack anyway? Three— no, _four_ years ago? He couldn’t think properly. The tip of his fingers twitched as he tried to feel them, but they had gone numb.

Was someone calling his name…?

He could hear someone calling his name, but the voice was distant…

So, so _distant_ …

 _Way too distant_ …

It was a matter of seconds before Flug found himself in a familiar setting, surrounded by a familiar scent, and lying in a familiar mahogany bed. His muscles were still tense and his breathing was still faster than usual, but those were the only lasting symptoms of his panic attack. He was now able to breathe and think coherently like before, and he could no longer feel the anxiety he had been feeling previously. He felt… _safe_. There was no reason for him to feel this way, but he did— well, his inner omega did, at least, and Dr. Flug unfortunately did not know why, until he realized something— a small, almost insignificant, detail that he had dared ignore. He was not alone. There was a presence in the room, a presence that was neither Demencia nor 5.0.5. The presence had a spicy scent that reeked of worried alpha. After everything had been analyzed, there was only one option left. _Oh, shit,_ he cursed mentally, shooting up faster than he should have, and his vision blurred once again. His heart started beating faster as this happened. This was not good at all. Was he going to have another episode? Was he really going to have a panic attack _in Black Hat’s room_ in front of _Black Hat himself_?! Before he knew it, Flug was hyperventilating. His eyes were widen, his body was tensing, his throat was closing. His mind and vision were both foggy, and he was unable to come up with a solution to his problem. It was real this time. He was going to die, he was going to die, he was going to die, _he was going to fucking di_ —

“Take deep, slow breaths, Dr. Flug.”

The order was simple, and yet it was clear enough for Dr. Flug to understand: he had to do _something_ about this instead of letting the dread consume him. The doctor started taking deep, controlled gulps of air, knowing that if he went any faster his panic attack would come back and he would have to repeat the process all over again. Once he finally got ahold of his breathing, both his muscles and heart started relaxing. The remnants of his panic attack, both current and previous, were fading. It was over. He was back and he was in control again. As soon as Flug regained the ability to talk and think like an adult, he scanned the room, searching for his boss. The demon was leaning against the door, arms crossed, looking as serious and professional as he’d ever been. “S-sir…” He didn’t know what to say. What _could_ he even say? ‘I’m sorry for being pathetic as always’? No, it wasn’t subtle enough. Black Hat never said anything, and Flug could feel him staring directly into his wretched soul. “Thank you.” It was the only thing he was able to say at the moment.

“What did she do?” Black Hat asked in return.

“What…?”

The demon started ambling around the room, and Flug didn’t really know why. Perhaps it was meant to intimidate him, or maybe Black Hat did it to calm himself down, but he didn’t have time to think about this. His scent was, for lack of a better word, unbearable at the moment. Black Hat’s scent wasn’t generally unbearable, but Flug cringed whenever he started to release protective alpha pheromones. It reminded him of his frailty— of his _inferiority_. “Demencia came to me because you were, in her exact words, ‘dying or something’. Additionally, she was with you when this _attack_ happened. Is there any reason for me to believe she did not have anything to do with it?” Dr. Flug’s breath hitched as he tried to comprehend the situation. Was he really holding Demencia accountable for his sudden panic attack? It was more than clear that Black Hat did not know a lot about humans and their weaknesses, seeing as he barely had any, and the weaknesses he had were nowhere near as impactful and deadly as a human’s. None of this mattered, however, because the doctor would never let Demencia take the blame for something that not even _he_ himself had fault in. Still, the doctor had to be careful with his explanation. He was dealing with a dangerous and unstable demon, after all.

“Demencia had nothing to do with it, sir, I-I promise,” he assured his boss. Black Hat did not seem convinced.

“She was with you, doctor.”

“Well, y-you see, correlation does not imply causation, sir.” This was something he had learned a long time ago, and, even if it was short and simple, it was valuable. As a scientist _and_ an omega, he had to keep this in mind. That’s when he remembered he still needed to explain _why_ Demencia was innocent. “Panic attacks don’t have a source. They just… _happen_. And there’s nothing I can do to prevent them.” This last part was so true it hurt. Dr. Flug could only bear the pain and wait until it was over. He was powerless, as powerless as he’d ever been. At least he had already had a panic attack before, but the memory of his first panic attack was way too vivid. Otto, one of his friends who’d been with him when it happened, had been so alarmed and shook he kept asking — _beseeching_ — the nurse to call 911. “I just have to convince myself that everything will be ok, and they’ll go away.” It was a lie. They wouldn’t go away. They would always be there, waiting for the worst moment to strike.

“So you’ve had them before,” Black Hat concluded. It was already implied considering Flug seemed to have experience when it came to them.

“Y-Yes, but those happened years a-ago…” It was nothing more than a murmur. He was hoping his boss hadn’t heard him at all, but it was very unlikely. Black Hat could hear _everything_ if he wanted to. The omega looked downcast, and then remembered something. “H-how long…?” The question was cut in half, because Flug found himself unable to complete it. He didn’t know the reason as to why he stopped, he just _did_. Thankfully, Black Hat seemed to have understood the question.

“Half an hour,” he answered nonchalantly. _They shouldn’t last this long_ , Dr. Flug told himself. “We leave in twenty minutes. If you aren’t ready by then, you’ll be left behind, and I mean it.” And Black Hat left the room, closing the door behind him. At this point, the scientist didn’t know if being left behind was a good or a bad thing. He also wasn’t sure if his boss was being serious. He couldn’t assume things, but, considering his inner alpha’s current state, he wouldn’t leave his omega alone, would he? _It’s not like this matters,_ Flug told himself. Black Hat could go against his inner alpha’s wishes and instincts if he wished. Hell, he often refused to follow his inner omega’s warnings, why wouldn’t a powerful demon do the same? Remembering his boss’s words, he organized the bed and left the room, pausing at the door. He had twenty minutes left. What could he do? _I was going to watch television, right?_ Maybe he could still do that. Flug’s walk down the stairs was slow-paced. He didn’t want to have another random episode, so he had to be extra careful this time. The walk was silent. It’s not like he was complaining, however. Silence was great, and now he could appreciate it properly.

“Heya, Flug!”

And, of course, the blissful calmness was short-lived.

“Hello, Demencia,” he courteously greeted, turning around and expecting the hybrid to be grinning from ear-to-ear like usual, but, instead of that, he was met with guilt-ridden heterochromatic eyes and a frown. She looked worried— regretful, even. The unusual expression felt out of place. It didn’t suit her at all, but Flug didn’t know why. He opened his mouth to speak, hoping to convince Demencia that she shouldn’t have to worry about him, because he somehow (omega instincts, perhaps) knew that this was about the panic attack, but she had been faster.

“Are you okay now? Are you, like, not dead?” The questions were… odd, but they were better than a thousand apologies. He barely realized Demencia was poking his cheek to make sure. Dr. Flug didn’t know why he wasn’t bothered by this.

“Yeah, I’m alive… I think.”

“I can always stab you to make sure!”

“What?”

“Well, if you die that means you were alive.”

“This is an… _interesting_ line of thought, Demencia, but I’ll pass.”

“Too bad, you’re missing out, bro,” she informed him. “Come on, let’s play some Mario Kart before Black Hat comes and kicks our asses because he can.” She made a movement with every intention to grab his wrist and drag him along, but stopped halfway through and hastily withdrew her arm shortly after.  Flug almost raised an eyebrow at the unusually careful attitude and then remembered that she’d been dragging him by the wrist when _that_ happened. Then he realized she was trying to avoid a second panic attack, and, while he was weirded out by the out-of-character behavior, it was sweet seeing the side of Demencia that no one else ever got to see. It was almost — and he did mean _almost_ , because he wasn’t a damned china doll — flattering. “Heh, a-anyway, let’s go!” She cheered enthusiastically (although the doctor knew it was fake because he was no fool when it came to stupid, stupid human emotions) before heading towards the living room. Dr. Flug trailed after her, ready to drop the subject and focus on Mario Kart, before realizing something.

“Demencia, d-didn’t you say you wanted to d-dance…?” Oh, he was definitely going to regret this, but he would do anything to make the atmosphere less tense. Demencia turned around so fast he was surprised she didn’t leave skid marks on the floor.

“You mean that?!”

“I-I guess…” Flug didn’t really want to dance but, by doing so, he would probably regain some of his confidence and test his dance moves in order to see if he was still able to move as smoothly as before. If he was going to a masquerade ball this would mean he would have to talk _and_ dance (although he was hoping to simply be ignored), and he couldn’t afford to trip and fall in the middle of thousands of villains. Luthien’s speech still echoed in his head from time to time: _“You’ll have to dance on your wedding, Oddball. There’s no way around it. Just imagine: you’ll be there, wearing a beautiful black and white suit, with the love of your life waiting for you on the altar, as you two gaze lovingly at each other. You two exchange vows and kiss. It’ll be a beautiful wedding— perhaps the most beautiful wedding of the century. It’ll be the happiest day of your life. The girls and I will be there, crying and cheering for you. Oh, there must be alcohol, by the way, because we’ll need to be completely shitfaced to tell all of those embarrassing stories about you. And then comes the dance. You try to keep up but you can’t, because you don’t know how to dance, so you trip on your wife or husband’s shoes, fall on the cake, start a fire, give the priest a heart attack, and BAM: night ruined. Your spouse will ask for a divorce faster than you can say ‘Oompa Loompa’.”_ She didn’t really help his case, however, because he’d lost hours upon hours of sleep thinking about this very likely scenario. He also spent a good amount of his free time wondering why she thought ‘Oompa Loompa’ was something he would say after ruining his own wedding.

“ _Flug_ ,” Demencia whined once again, dragging the ‘u’. “You’re spacing out _again_.”

“A-ah, sorry, sorry,” Flug apologized, taking a step towards the one he dared call his ‘sister’. He didn’t know what he was doing, to be honest. His body was moving on its own, and he decided it was too late to undo his actions, so all he had to do was go along and drown in his regret later. “S-so, Demencia…” _Do it,_ a shy voice in the back of his head ordered, making him shiver. Dr. Flug took a deep breath, closed his eyes, leaned forward slightly and extended his hand, putting the other one behind his back. Demencia just stood there, dumbfounded, wondering what he was trying to do. The doctor himself wished he knew. “… May I have this dance?” There was no answer at first, and Flug wondered if Demencia was so disgusted by his poor attempt to be charming that she ran away. His heart began to race and he started losing all hope, but he jumped in alarm when a high-pitched squeal violated his eardrums right before he was pulled into someone’s embrace, which forced him to open his eyes.

“Dude,” Demencia drawled, barely containing the excitement in her voice. She was grinning. Flug didn’t know if this was a good thing or not, but, knowing her, the scale was starting to tip towards the negative side. “ _Dude_ , that was so fucking _hot_. I’m pretty sure I started ovulating because _damn_.”

“ _Too much information_ , Dem,” he scolded while trying to keep his voice even. Flug didn’t know _why_ she was telling him this and whether he should take it as a compliment or not. He could already feel his face burning up. The worst part was that there was no way he could hide it because of his pale skin, even if it was covered in layers upon layers of foundation, and the lizard-girl definitely noticed it.

“Aww, you’re so cute when you’re all embarrassed like that!” She giggled, patting his head patronizingly. “Come on, bro, don’t be a prude!”

“I’m _not_ a _prude_.”

“You totally are!”

“Are we going to dance or would you rather talk about how much of a prude I am?” Flug asked, slipping out of her grasp. Demencia paused, thinking about what she wanted to do, and even put a hand on her chin to emphasize this.

“This’s a very hard decision.”

“ _Demencia—_ ”

“Just kidding, just kidding!” She raised her hands defensively, before lowering one of them and grabbing Flug’s hand with the other. “Come on, let’s dance!” She could barely contain her excitement. They were already in a pretty spacious room, so moving around to find somewhere bigger wouldn’t be needed. “Ready, my lady?” The question was provocative, and yet the doctor couldn’t bring himself to feel anger. He was more nervous than anything. Could he still dance? What if he couldn’t? What if he tripped and fell and started a fire like Luthien said?! God, he’d be a laughing stock for days on end. Black Hat would hate him, that’s for sure. He held his breath when Demencia interlaced their fingers, knowing what would come next, so he put his free hand on her waist, and she placed hers on his shoulder. He didn’t know why this felt so awkward. Maybe it was because he’d never been this close to Demencia before. Something told him this was wrong.

Oh no, he really _was_ a prude.

“S-so, uh, have you ever danced before?” He suddenly asked, trying to forget about his enlightening discovery.

“Nope; not formally, at least,” she replied. “But, like, I gotta learn if we’re going to some super fancy party, right? So you gotta teach me. _Teach me, sensei_.”

The doctor scrunched up his nose. “Don’t call me that.” She only giggled mischievously in response, glad that she was able to elicit a reaction. Yes, he was just adding fuel to the fire. “You’re incorrigible… Well, at least you didn’t call me ‘senpai’,” Flug whispered in relief before realizing what he’d done. Demencia had, without a speck of doubt, heard that, and was giving him the biggest Cheshire grin, making his stomach drop. The glint was back, and so was his desperation. “If you call me ‘senpai’ I will disown you.” It was a little too late. He knew his threat had fallen on deaf ears.

“You’re no fun,” she complained with a childish pout.

“Sometimes it’s hard to believe you’re 96-years-old,” Flug pondered. He took the first step so they could actually dance instead of just hate-flirt with each other (and he knew that if they got too involved this little argument of theirs would never end). He was glad his movements were still as smooth and calculated as they had once been; hell, he was able to dance with his eyes closed if he wanted to. Demencia’s movements were a disaster. She was awkward and her steps were weak and hesitant. She failed to mimic the Lead, often switching which foot she was supposed to use, stepping on his shoes from time to time, and occasionally slipping and almost falling; if it weren’t for Flug’s awareness of how clumsy Demencia was, she would’ve brought him down with her. She seemed ready to say something sarcastic to try and put him down, but he got the upper hand, especially since he was the Lead and she was the Follow. Dr. Flug’s steps began to get faster and more complicated, and he couldn’t help but allow his frown to turn into a shit-eating grin as his Follow stumbled over her own shoes for what seemed like the tenth time that day while trying to keep up with him. “It seems like you’re in a bit of a pinch, Dem,” he told her, trying to be as suave as he was able to and actually succeeding for the first time in years. Demencia, on the other hand, wasn’t amused. She blew a raspberry at him.

“You’re going too fast, asshole, that’s not fair.” Flug only chuckled and stopped. Demencia took a deep breath, putting a hand over her heart. Her lungs were on fire and her feet ached. It was like she was walking on spears. “You play dirty.” _Ah, yes, sweet, sweet karma,_ Dr. Flug told himself as he feasted on his sister’s frustration.

“I guess I do, don’t I?”

“Wow, watch out, we got a badass over here, y’all! I never thought the stuttering mess that was Dr. Prude Slys would get so cocky just because he outdanced someone,” she scoffed, waving her hand at his dismissively. Flug was more annoyed at the invented word than at the mockery itself.

“‘Outdance’ is not a word, Demencia.”

“Says who?”

“It doesn’t matter since you won’t listen to me anyway,” the scientist responded, crossing his arms. He couldn’t help but find her voluntary ignorance absolutely maddening. Demencia crossed her arms as well. She was ready to fight and win.

“Well, you’re a prude.”

“Is this the only argument you have?” Flug asked, incredulous. Demencia wasn’t feeling particularly creative today, was she? In any other situation he would avoid conflict and go to his lab since he worked much harder when he was in a foul mood, usually because of something Demencia said or did. He wouldn’t do that, however, because he needed to set a few things straight, such as this whole ‘prude’ argument. He didn’t even know why he was getting so worked up over this ridiculous assumption. “I am _not_ a prude. In fact, right after the ball I will _have sex with the first person who pays me on EBay._ ” Dr. Flug wasn’t being serious _at all_. The idea of prostituting himself was ridiculous and disgusting, and it wouldn’t help his case considering he planned on keeping his secondary gender a secret until the end of his days. Yes, he was going to carry this to his damned grave. He wondered if Demencia was taking him seriously. Her Cheshire grin was back, and she was trying to suppress a fit of giggles.

“Oh, would you _really_ do that, Flugbug?”

He shivered for a brief moment, but shook the feeling of dread off. “Yes, I would. I’d sleep with a thousand alphas for ten dollars if I could.”

“ ** _Is that so_ , Dr. Flug?**”

 _Oh shit_.

Flug spun on his heels and almost had a stroke. Black Hat was looming over him, looking less than pleased. The doctor knew the reason why, unfortunately. Did he really just talk about having sex with _a thousand alphas_ in front of his _overly protective alpha boss_?! Was that why he had shivered? His inner omega had sensed the presence of Black Hat’s alpha in the room and tried to warn him, and he just ignored it. Demencia couldn’t hold her laughter anymore. She doubled over, cackling like a hyena on nitrous oxide. He paid no attention to her, choosing to prioritize the irritated demon instead. How did he not notice his spicy scent? He was a damn omega; he should’ve smelt it from miles away! And it’s not like Black Hat was trying to hide it either. Quite the contrary, he was trying to make his scent as noticeable as possible. “S-sir… I-I didn’t… I wasn’t…” _Control yourself_ , Flug thought, taking a deep breath. “H-how long have you been there…?”

“ _Long enough_ ,” Black Hat answered with narrowed eyes. This gave his employee zero answers. “I hope you weren’t being serious, doctor. I wouldn’t want to get my gloves dirty.” His voice and body were both calm, but Dr. Flug could feel the pheromones in the air. His inner omega shook. It was suffocating.

“I wasn’t, al— s-sir.”

“ _Good,_ ” the other answered, choosing to ignore the misstep. He adjusted his gloves, and Flug couldn’t help but analyze his attire. Black Hat was wearing a black and red tailed tuxedo alongside his top hat which had been decorated with a few feathers as a bonus. Both his gloves and shoes were tinted in a very dark gray color, although his bowtie was pitch-black. His cane, once normal, was now decorated with a black and red spectacled cobra — which resembled Lil’ Jack a little too much — wrapping itself around the shaft. There was nothing too distinctive about his clothes — he was actually expecting his boss to dress up like this, considering the color pattern he’d been following — except for one small thing: his mask. Who would’ve thought so many different hues of red and grey would go along so well and even complement each other in a perfectly harmonic way? It was eye candy. There were so many details that a normal human would need to take a whole day off in order to examine and appreciate them all properly. “Can I help you with something, Flug?” Black Hat suddenly and passive-aggressively asked, making the younger man realize he was staring.

“A-ah, n-no, sir…” He stuttered out, body shivering with embarrassment. His boss’s eye narrowed for a split second before he decided to ignore the incident.

“Listen up, you two,” Black Hat called. Demencia walked up to them, being careful so she wouldn’t trip on her dress’s ends, and stopped at Dr. Flug’s side, with their cross-armed employer in front of them. He seemed serious, and you don’t want to piss a serious Black Hat off. “Before we go, I will establish some rules and I expect you to _follow them_.” With that said, he eyed a certain hybrid who just grinned in response to the silent accusatory look she’d been given. “The first one is the most simply to follow: _no alcohol_. I am not in the mood to deal with two drunken idiots, and I will certainly not be in the mood tomorrow to deal with two idiots and two hangovers. _Is that clear?_ ” There was no need to answer this question, and they knew it was rhetorical anyways. “You know what happens when you test my patience.” They knew (with Flug knowing more than anyone else). Their boss wasn’t the strongest and most influential villain in the world for nothing. He was able to live up to his reputation if he had to. Dr. Flug thought he’d seen Demencia smirk for a brief moment, and his heart sank. He knew she was planning on disobeying him. “I expect you to take the second rule seriously: no leaving my side. I cannot stress this enough, I fucking swear…” He put a hand on his forehead, either to nurse a migraine or to prove a point. His employees had been left confused, however. Why couldn’t they leave his side? Why—?

_“…Is it because I’m an omega?”_

… Oh.

Why wasn’t he surprised? Why wasn’t he _angry_? It was unfair. This was nothing short of common sense. The doctor knew he should be furious because Black Hat doubted him, his abilities, his talents, his freedom of choice, and everything he was, just because he was an omega. He should’ve been exasperated. He should’ve raised hell. But, somehow, he wasn’t angry. No, what he was feeling was much, much worse.

Flug was _disappointed_.

Was his boss’s alpha jealous of people he _hadn’t even met_? He couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Perhaps he was projecting, but if he wasn’t… How ridiculous was that? Black Hat — the supreme villain, conqueror of worlds, destroyer of planets, the ultimate mastermind, and a demon (although this definition was still on the table) of many, many powers, some of which the human mind was incapable of comprehending — was possessive of someone like _him_? How did this happen in the first place? Ah, yes, his secondary gender… Still, he couldn’t help but be surprised…

“What if I gotta go to the bathroom?” Demencia suddenly asked, raising her hand.

“Hold it,” Black Hat responded curtly.

“Anything for you, Blackie,” she winked, making the demon roll his eye. Only Demencia would show this type of devotion towards him. It was _creepy_ and somewhat cult-like, yes, but also expected at the same time. Instead of attempting to respond, which would’ve been useless anyway, Black Hat raised one of his hands and snapped his fingers. Flug wondered what he was going to do, but, before he could think of possibilities, a mask materialized out of thin air and fell into his slippery hands. The scientist swore he would never get used to seeing this happen. It was a constant reminder that Black Hat could effortlessly conjure a cage to trap him forever if he so wished. Dr. Flug knew this wouldn’t happen, but how could he convince his inner omega to relax? He chose to analyze the mask he’d been given instead. As expected, the main (and only) colors were white and azure, but that’s not what had caught his attention. Flug was just blown away by the details. The sides of his mask were covered in beautiful white and blue feathers (of course they had to be white and blue), and there was an ultramarine, triangle-shaped benitoite in the middle. _How did he make this appear in seconds?_ That mask was so detailed and _beautiful_ that simply seeing it made the doctor want to cry in happiness because he’d never seen anything so perfect in his entire life. He almost — _almost_ — failed to acknowledge the Brandeis blue (Flug had to thank his sisters for his useless knowledge of name colors) rose surrounded by white leaves next to the hole meant for his left eye. He didn’t want to wear this mask.

He didn’t deserve to wear this mask.

Hell, not even _God himself_ deserved to wear this mask.

“Bro, the mask ain’t gonna eat you,” Demencia spoke as she unexpectedly poked her brother in the cheek. “ _Probably_ ,” she then added as a wicked grin made its way to her face. As if he wasn’t paranoid enough… Unsurprisingly, she was already wearing her own mask, which meant she wasn’t worried about the probability of something unnatural happening as a consequence of putting it on. “And you don’t even need strings! It sticks on your face!” Flug raised an eyebrow but decided to see if she wasn’t just messing with him for the heck of it. He slowly led the mask to his face and put it on, hesitantly letting it go. And, well, Demencia was actually right for once! The mask never fell and stood still on his face. How it did that, exactly, he didn’t know, but it had been created by Black Hat so he shouldn’t try to find the logic behind it. The demon then audibly hit the floor with his cane, making his employees jump and direct their attention toward him, which was exactly what he wanted.

“Now that you’re done with gawking at the magic properties of your masks, let’s go,” he grunted. The ‘siblings’ eyed each other before following Black Hat.

“Hey, bro,” Demencia called. Flug did not take his eyes off his boss.

“Yes?” There was a pause.

“ _Senpai_ ,” she purred in amusement. The doctor narrowed his eyes.

“That’s it. I’ve officially disowned you.”

**_.  .  ._ **

“Aw, yeah, baby! We’re doing this!” Daredevil cried out in excitement, throwing one of her fists in the air and eyeing her blood red gala dress.

Phantom looked around in utter boredom. The rest of the volunteers were almost done with the preparations, only missing a few details here and then. Daredevil just needed to put her gloves on, Thunder Flux was having an intense fight with his bowtie (and he was losing), Commander Fistfight was combing and gelling his hair, and Amaranthos was struggling with his cufflinks. They had been the only heroes crazy enough to risk their lives as spies, but Phantom found this idea enthralling. He’d always wanted to be a spy, and now his childhood dream was coming true. Besides, he was actually being useful by helping the other heroes with their plan. The adrenaline was already rushing through his veins, making his muscles twitch every now and then, and he couldn’t help but fidget and move around in his seat ever so slightly. Seriously, why were they taking _so long_? He’d managed to dress himself in only five minutes and had been there for thirty more minutes, watching as everyone carefully dressed themselves like they were going to receive an Academy Award. He suppressed an ‘are you guys done yet?’ and crossed his arms while leaning against his chair. This did nothing to soothe him. “I fucking hate bowties…” Thunder murmured, scowling. Daredevil, noticing her coworker’s evident frustration, walked up to Thunder and patted him in the back comfortingly. That’s when a mischievous grin crossed her features.

“Don’t worry, they hate you too.”

Thunder Flux apparently wanted to respond to Daredevil’s snide remark, but he couldn’t think of any sort of witty comeback, so he simply shut his mouth and took it. “Stop it, you two,” Amaranthos scolded, trying to prevent havoc from ensuing. That was the last thing they needed. “Remember why we’re here in the first place?” The whole room fell silent.

“He’s right,” Commander Fistfight agreed as he put his hairbrush down and adjusted his own bowtie. “If we’re going to do this, we need to stay together. It’s like a table. If one of the legs falls, the rest of the table falls apart as well.” Thunder rolled his eyes at the nonsensical (according to him, at least) metaphor. He shouldn’t have been surprised, of course. Fistfight was always the one to try and preserve the peace, even if he failed most of the time.

“Buy a new table, or maybe get a prosthetic leg. It’s not that hard.”

“You’re missing the point, Thunder…” Fistfight pinched his nose. He was already developing a headache. “We won’t need a new table if we stay together. We’re a team, and a team sticks together no matter what.” His comrades shifted awkwardly. “Are we all ready? We need to go.” Daredevil gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up. Amaranthos shrugged, having already pulled out his phone to check his messages. Janus nodded, happy that they were finally going to put their plan in action. Thunder Flux simply (and audibly) groaned, grasping both ends of his bowtie, feeling his despair grow.

“How does this even work?!” He asked, not bothering to hide his anger. “Is this some sort of torture method from the Dark Ages or what?!” Commander Fistfight shook his head in utter disappointment.

“This was a mistake.”

**_.  .  ._ **

The car ride had been awfully silent.

Black Hat had decided to use his car as a transportation method. Despite its common appearance (except for the top hats everywhere), that car was nothing short of unusual. It was capable of going through other cars and material objects like a ghost, and it was also very, _very_ fast. Dr. Flug had been in that car before, and seeing Black Hat drive towards a hospital at an abnormally high speed for the first time scared the hell out of him. He was positive his soul had left his body for a minute. The sudden astral projection was both bizarre and traumatizing. He started wearing a seatbelt from then on. Flug watched as they sped through cars, bikes, cyclists and even people in awe. Just like Black Hat’s item summoning, he would never be entirely comfortable with the idea of going through people like a spirit trapped on Earth. Meanwhile, Demencia was enjoying the ride way too much for his taste. She was bouncing on her seat, constantly begging for Black Hat to go faster and staring at the blur of cars and other vehicles passing by. On one hand he understood her excitement; it was her first day out, after all, and she’d probably never seen so many cars and people in her entire life. But, on the other hand, he couldn’t quite comprehend it. It was a normal party, after all. Why would she be so excited for a party?

“C’mon, Flugbug, you don’t look happy at all!” Demencia piped up, poking his cheek once again. “Dude, we’ll be having the time of our lives!”

Flug hummed half-heartedly as he averted his gaze, staring at the window. This wasn’t going to be fun _at all_. Not only was he not allowed to leave Black Hat’s side but he couldn’t address or look at anyone unless he wanted them dead or severely handicapped and traumatized. It would’ve been more enjoyable if his boss didn’t act like everything and everyone was a threat. Hell, maybe soon enough he wouldn’t even be able to do his _job_ — not alone and unsupervised, at least. He could already scratch a few things from his list, then, like buying new equipment for his projects. Sometimes Dr. Flug needed a few things like nuts and bolts for his inventions, and the nearest shop that sold them was located on another town next to Hatsville, called Crownvalley. Black Hat would drive him to the store — using his phantom car, obviously — and wait in the car while the doctor bought what he needed. But, now that his secondary gender was out, he knew Black Hat wouldn’t dare let him stay out of his sight. He would order the equipment online instead, which was safer, but slower and more complicated at the same time. It was like the demon was trying to make his life more difficult than it already was. When would he ever have freedom again? Would he have freedom _at all_?

“I’m so bored! Let’s play a game!” Demencia suddenly suggested.

“Why? Did you get tired of watching the other cars?”

“Yeah, I think I got motion sickness!” Dr. Flug somehow doubted that. He narrowed his eyes, but she paid no attention to that. “Let’s play the sheep game!” The sheep game was easy to play if you knew how to, but it sounded very complicated when you were a clueless beginner, and that’s where the fun lied. Unfortunately, both of them knew how to play it.

“But I already know how to play the sheep game. It’s only fun when you don’t know how to play it.” Demencia stopped, acknowledging this fact, and then put a hand on her chin, trying to look concentrated. That’s when she had an idea and her eyes lit up almost immediately.

“We can play with Black Hat!”

“No,” the demon promptly responded before focusing on the road again.

“You guys are no fun,” she pouted, crossing her arms, making Flug raise an eyebrow. This sort of attitude wasn’t unusual for her, obviously, but was she really going to act like a disappointed toddler when they were going to some sort of super fancy villain party? He just hoped Demencia would behave like the adult she was supposed to be when they got there, because he could very well pretend he didn’t know her at all. This would be easy since he wasn’t wearing his bag and none of their viewers had seen him without it. Dr. Flug had also been very careful with his hair and eyes, and found his attire very helpful. The goggles he constantly wore not only protected his eyes from the chemicals and the sunlight (since his eyes were sensitive to light) but they also hid his irises and their colors. His paper bag covered his face, scars, and hair (which was constantly tied in a bun because of its length). His clothes — his shirt, lab coat, jeans, and shoes — hid most of his skin, only showing his neck. The only way for a villain to recognize him would be by his voice, and Flug knew he wouldn’t dare say anything to anyone, both because of his anxiety of being around other villains and because Black Hat would be watching his and everyone else’s every move. One careless little slip-up could and _would_ cost someone their life (or, if not, their sanity or physical well-being). The doctor didn’t want to ruin an entire masquerade ball for having simply messed with the wrong person, so he would probably keep to himself.

“We’re here.”

Those two words that came from Black Hat made Flug’s mind and heart race, and he didn’t know why. Perhaps it was his anxiety striking, because he was going to be surrounded by dangerous people, after all, but this was just a guess. _Or maybe…_ , he thought, trailing off, when another possibility crossed his already worked up mind, and it was something much worse than being surrounded by a thousand villains. God, how did he not realize it before? It was so obvious…

Something was going to go _terribly wrong_.

 _Calm down, don’t stress yourself,_ he told himself mentally, taking deep breaths. He couldn’t afford to have a second panic attack. His scent blocker wouldn’t handle it. _Oh no_ , he realized yet again. Did he forget to bring a second scent blocker? What the hell would he do if the first one failed? What would he do if it suddenly wore off (even if they rarely ever did that)? What would happen if he managed to cancel it with his anxiety and found himself in the middle of a thousand alphas?! What would he do? What would _Black Hat_ do?! Flug didn’t realize his breathing got faster until he snapped out of his anxiety attack. What had Black Hat told him earlier? _“Take slow, deep breaths, Dr. Flug_ ” was what he had said. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and relaxing his muscles. Everything would be fine. He wasn’t going to have a panic attack and present in the middle of the party. He wasn’t going to be kidnapped, murdered, or raped. Everything would be fine… Even if that might not have been necessarily true, lying to himself often did the trick, and, right now, he needed the lies. As the car slowly stopped, Dr. Flug’s mind stopped as well. Were they doing this now? He wasn’t mentally prepared to deal with everything just yet.

“Oh my god, we’re here! Come on, Flug, let’s go!” Demencia spoke so quickly that the doctor was barely able to understand her. It wasn’t long before he was being dragged out of the car and towards an enormous mansion with Black Hat checking everything on his car, looking as unamused and professional as he’d ever been. Dr. Flug slipped out of Demencia’s grasp and approached his boss, knowing he shouldn’t get very far without him. After Black Hat was done with locking his car and grabbing the invitations, the three of them headed towards the giant mansion. Flug tried to distract himself from his worries by analyzing the place they were moving towards, and he couldn’t lie: it was _enormous_. The building still paled in comparison to Black Hat’s mansion, but it was huge nonetheless. He could see other villains heading towards the entrance as well, many of them well-dressed and some accompanied by their henchmen. He could already smell the alphas’ scents, even when they were far away. Their presence was already threatening enough, but they were now going towards them. Flug could already feel his heart beating faster inside his chest. He could have a heart attack at any moment. “You guys are so freaking slow,” Demencia groaned, hastily grabbing the scientist’s wrist and pulling him forward. “Come on!”

“Demencia, wait—!” How could someone shorter than him have so much strength? He would probably never know. That hybrid was and would forever be a mystery. He just wished she could stay still so he could analyze her properly, but it’s not like that would happen anytime soon. That was the least of his problems, however. He was currently being dragged away from Black Hat and closer to other alphas, and he could tell his boss wasn’t pleased. It was too late — he was already in trouble, so he just let Demencia drag him around. He could only think of one thing at the moment.

_I am so fucking dead._

And he really was.

Once they had arrived at the entrance, Demencia noticed that there was a bouncer — a very tall, strong, and intimidating alpha bouncer — collecting everybody’s invitations, and she realized their boss was the one in possession of their invitations, which meant their run towards the building had been completely useless and the doctor probably pissed his employer off in vain. “Thank you for dragging me around for nothing,” Dr. Flug said sarcastically. Demencia blew a raspberry at him (like the adult she was).

“You needed the exercise, bro.”

“What was that supposed to mean, Dem?”

“You know what I mean, Flugbug,” she responded with a grin.

“Stop arguing, both of you, or I will make you wait in the fucking car.” Black Hat seemingly came out of nowhere (which wasn’t entirely impossible), making Flug jump in surprise. Demencia’s lips stretched into an infatuated grin. The demon ignored both of them and pulled out the invitations, handing them to the bouncer, who nodded in response. Dr. Flug took a deep breath. Everything had been good so far. Nothing bad had happened. Yes, everything was going to be fine. He was worrying over nothing. He snapped out of his mental reassurance once Demencia grasped his wrist, unable to contain her enthusiasm, but he managed to pull his hand back — although he might’ve pulled a little too violently for his taste —, and the hybrid suddenly understood he didn’t want to be grabbed and dragged around anymore. Reckless as she was, she didn’t want to give him a second panic attack. The first one had given her a huge scare, and another one, especially in the middle of thousands of villains, wouldn’t be good.

While Flug moved to Black Hat’s right, Demencia opted to move to his left in order to keep the symmetry.

The rest of the guests had already joined the crowd, which meant they were the only ones who were yet to enter the mansion. Maybe this had been Black Hat’s plan all along. He had always been keen on dramatic entrances, most of which involved black magic or demonic powers (and, if he was in a good mood, both of them). This made Dr. Flug nervous, as he wasn’t as fond of those entrances as his boss was. He was a reserved person who would rather keep to himself than be in the spotlight, the center of attention. Hell, just the _thought_ made him itchy and anxious. Somehow, his inability to do things properly was enhanced by one-hundred percent whenever he was being observed, which was why he would always mess something up if his boss decided to supervise his work. It wasn’t voluntary, and the doctor would definitely change this flaw if he could, but he was no god. As they walked in, Flug wondered if he would be able to mingle with the other villains, as if he never existed at all. That’s when he stepped inside the room and his question was immediately answered.

He wouldn’t.

As soon as the trio walked in, the whole room fell silent. All villains stopped whatever they were doing, no matter how important or relevant to their situation it was, to stare at the newcomers with wide, curious eyes. They were all dressed in black: black dresses, black masks, black tuxedos, black accessories, he could go on for days. Dr. Flug and Demencia were the only ones breaking this oddly uncanny but fitting pattern. He tried to appear as small as possible — perhaps in an unsuccessful attempt to vanish off the face of the earth completely —, and maybe he should’ve been glad Black Hat was the one drawing all the attention to himself. His relief didn’t last as long as he wished it did, though, because suddenly all eyes fell on him. He didn’t even need to look at the crowd to realize this. He could feel their stares setting his soul aflame, making his inner omega jittery. He would never be able to enjoy being in the limelight; it made him uncomfortable and anxious, as any error on his part would result in total humiliation. It was a miracle he hadn’t tripped over nothing but air itself yet (especially since he did this way too much). Black Hat didn’t seem to be enjoying the attention his employee was receiving either. His inner alpha was whispering in his ear, telling him that all of those alphas were there to steal his omega, to keep him to themselves, make him theirs… The thought was so vivid — so bloody _realistic_ — he unwillingly let out a low growl that no one but Dr. Flug could hear. The growl was instinctive and embarrassing — how could he, Black Hat, lose control like that?! —, but the omega immediately scooted closer to him, and it was a soothing gesture. Demencia seemed to be enjoying the attention she was getting. She blew a kiss at the awestruck crowd (and one villain actually _gave her a wink_ in response). Flug wished he was as confident and oblivious as she was.

“Ah, Black Hat, I was almost convinced you wouldn’t show up!”

Flug’s eyes scanned the spacious room, but he was unable to find the source of that voice. He was barely able to tell where it came from. That’s when the crowd of silent villains parted like the Red Sea in order to allow someone to pass through. He eyed the rapidly-moving stranger (who was most likely the host) warily. It was a man dressed in black — _what a surprise_ — and he had a fairly simple mask covered in dark feathers and with a beak, which made him resemble a crow. Speaking of which, there was one sitting on his right shoulder, watching every other guest in the room. Flug shivered, his inner omega telling him he was now approaching an alpha. He couldn’t even try to feign surprise. _Everyone_ in that room was an alpha. “Come with me, let’s go somewhere more private,” said the host as he headed towards the stairs located at the end of the room.  Flug sighed mentally. Did that mean they would finally stop being the center of attention and finally stay far away from those prying eyes? He hoped so. “Continue the party, villains!” Black Hat wordlessly followed the man, arms crossed behind his back, and the doctor took this as a sign to follow them as well. He eyed Demencia, and noticed she was too distracted silently flirting with the villain who’d responded to her kiss to notice they were leaving, so he grabbed her hand and pulled her away. She then winked at the one she was flirting with before willingly joining the others.

The hallways were long and dim-lighted, and, even though Dr. Flug was used to those, they still managed to creep him out. It wasn’t unnatural, however, because he felt somewhat safe in his boss’s manor, and this was an unknown place with unknown people who were able to do god knows what to someone like him. The place was like a maze. There were other hallways to his right and left, making him wonder where they would take him. Noticing he was starting to space out, he took bigger steps, trying to pick up his pace. After what seemed like an eternity, the quartet finally reached a room located at the end of the corridor. The red-colored door hid whatever was behind it, leaving an air of mystery mixed with dread that Flug was too afraid of breathing in. When the host (who the doctor decided to start calling ‘Crow-man’, as he didn’t know his name) opened the door, he was relieved to find out there was nothing unusual or dangerous in the room. The walls were painted in sangria red, while the carpet and the curtains were colored in a pleasing shade of cranberry red. The lights were brighter and the windows were open, letting the blissful night wind in. The room didn’t have a lot of furniture. There was a table located at the end, and a few chairs thrown around in a non-specific order. What caught Flug off-guard was the only person in the room, a feminine figure who was sitting in the shadows with her arms crossed, a smile plastered on her face. “Took you long enough, Amy,” she told Crow-man, who rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. The crow on his shoulder took off, heading towards the window. Oh, how he _wished_ he could do the same…

As the mysterious woman stood up, Crow-man turned around once his guests finally entered the room, closing the door behind them. Even if the door wasn’t locked, Dr. Flug didn’t like it. He felt trapped— trapped in a place he didn’t know with two people he didn’t know. It doesn’t take much to make him feel nervous, and this is quite bothersome, especially for a so-called villain. “Black Hat, I said I needed to present you to someone, if I recall correctly, so I’ll keep my promise. I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Eglantine Hunter.” Flug, too socially nervous to do anything, chose to eye her attire instead. She was wearing a white column dress with a bow in the middle. The dress wasn’t extravagant, but it wasn’t that simple either— it was something in between, and he found this pleasing. Despite having a white dress, Eglantine’s skin was dark, just like her extremely curly hair, which was shoulder-length and decorated with something he could only assume was glitter. Everything complimented itself. The only thing, the tiniest detail he just barely missed, was that she didn’t have a mask on. He snapped out of it when the woman, Eglantine Hunter, bowed in respect.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Black Hat,” she said with a genuine smile.

“Likewise,” Black Hat answered with a smile, but his voice held disinterest and boredom. Eglantine then looked at Dr. Flug, and the latter’s muscles tensed. Why couldn’t he go unnoticed for once?

“I assume you are Dr. Flug,” she guessed. He just nodded, unable to say anything and avoiding eye contact. Even with the cool breeze of the night he still felt hot, his clothes sticking to his skin. With a hum, she extended her hand. Flug quickly shook it, almost afraid to make contact with another being. Why? Was he nervous? It was not because of her secondary gender, he could tell that much. His inner omega was relaxed, while it would fret whenever an alpha approached. No, it wasn’t that, the problem was that he couldn’t shake a feeling of familiarity off, like he’d seen her before, but, even if he did, where? Why did he feel anxious like this? “I sincerely hope you enjoy the party.” He only nodded again, crossing his arms behind his back. Black Hat could feel his hesitation, but didn’t say anything. He was lost in thought, ignoring the world around him. Eglantine was now greeting Demencia — he could see their lips moving from the corner of his eyes — but his brain was blocking their voices. He could only hear his own voice— no, not even that; he could only hear a certain voice: his inner omega’s voice. _Stay by alpha, he will protect you,_ it whispered, trying to sound trustworthy. Flug knew, however, he couldn’t trust his instincts. They only got him in trouble. Hell, he managed to get in trouble _without them_ , which just proved how unlucky he was. Besides, he didn’t _need_ those instincts. He didn’t _need_ an _alpha_ … right? Flug came back to reality when Demencia pulled him towards the door, firmly grasping his wrist.

“D-Demencia, wh—”

And then he realized: she wanted to leave the room. And they couldn’t leave Black Hat’s side. _He_ couldn’t leave Black Hat’s side. The demon would kill him (if he didn’t kill Demencia first). It was too late, because they were already out of the room and heading towards the incredibly complex set of hallways. His boss seemed eager to hunt them down, but Amadeus put a hand on his shoulder, not even stopping to think about what he’d done and how it’d probably affect his ability to walk, think, breathe, or live. Dr. Flug wondered if that man was either really bold or really dense, or perhaps a combination of both. He was surprised to see Black Hat not moving or murdering the man right on the spot. He knew his boss, and he barely had any self-control when it came to people touching him. “Let them enjoy the party, Black Hat. Kids will be kids, after all. You can’t stop them from getting in trouble.” Flug asked himself if he ought to be offended for being called a ‘kid’, which he definitely was not — eighteen-year-olds are legal adults! —, but it wasn’t like Amadeus would hear him now. He was too far to be heard, and shouting ‘I’m not a child!’ from a long distance while being dragged away was not the most adult-like thing in the world. Eglantine chuckled at the scene, and that was the last thing he saw before the door was closed.

“Dem, where are we going?” He inquired, withdrawing his wrist that was already aching. Somehow, the sensation didn’t bother him as much. Perhaps it was because he was already used to Demencia’s antics and being treated like a ragdoll which she would constantly push around. They were currently in the middle of a hallway, not too far away from the room they were previously in but not too close either. It was like being stranded. In fact, they had taken so many turns that Flug wondered if they were still in the mansion or if they had teleported to some alternate reality, which… wouldn’t be good _at all_. Yeah, it wouldn’t do.

“Downstairs, of course,” the hybrid answered matter-of-factly. Yes, obviously... Where else could they go? That’s when he noticed she started looking around, looking puzzled and maybe even a little disturbed. He could only feel trepidation growing in his stomach. Why was she looking around? Why had they stopped? She… She _did_ know where they were going, right…? They weren’t _lost_ , right?

“Dem, where are we?” Flug wanted her to have an answer. He really did. Demencia bit her lip, fidgeting.

“Um, that’s a _really_ good question, bro.”

Flug sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. _Of fucking course_ they would get lost in the middle of those maze-like hallways. When had _anything_ worked on his favor? He didn’t have an answer. The world and even the universe itself were against him. He was their punching bag, and the worst part was that he let himself be a punching bag, not bothering to try and fix his situation. He’d put up with Black Hat’s abuse in silence for _years_ , never trying to call for help because he _knew_ being abused under a roof as a beta was much better than being a homeless omega with an intact body and mind. They didn’t care about him. They cared about his omega status, and only that. If anything, even the tiniest thing, could work on their favor, they would take advantage of it, and exploit it as much as possible. Honestly, why did he care? Demencia had gotten them in this mess, and now she was going to fix it. Although he had to admit he didn’t want to spend thirty minutes lost inside that manor… Ugh, could things get any worse? “Hey!” Shouted someone from an unknown direction, forcing two of them to look around and search for the owner of that voice — who could be a threat, since they were in a building full of villains and completely unarmed —, right before they spotted a silhouette coming from their right, getting bigger and bigger as it moved towards them with an incredible speed. Flug paled. No, it couldn’t be… Once the silhouette was close enough, his fears were confirmed. “I was half expecting you two to know what you were doing, but I guess you really _are_ lost, aren’t you? How typical of new villains,” that last statement was borderline provocative.

This man was no one other than Atomus.

Out of all the people he could’ve bumped into, he had to bump into _Atomus_ , who Black Hat desperately wanted to kill. The man chuckled, hands buried in his pants’ pockets as he tried too hard to look relaxed. “Come, I’ll help you out.” Demencia grinned again, happy that she didn’t have to try too hard to find a solution, and pulling Dr. Flug along as if he were incapable of walking by himself. Truth be told, at that moment, he was. Yes, he _knew it_. It was the world working against him. Why else would he encounter someone hiss employer happened to hate? Atomus’s alpha scent wasn’t as strong in Black Hat’s manor, but here? He could smell it everywhere. Hell, he was _coated_ in it. If his boss smelled him like this he wouldn’t like it… And then, just like that, while they headed towards the stairs, following Atomus like lost puppies, he realized his conundrum had been answered.

Yes, things could get worse.

… Well, he should’ve figured as much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly feel like this ending was kinda rushed so I'm so sorry.
> 
> But yeah, that's it. 11,235 words. I actually beat my record, holy shit XD but yeah, trust me when I say next chapter will have some trouble and angst~ buuuuuut for now that's all, guys.
> 
> Also poor Flug he can't have one moment of peace RIP.


	10. Helpless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Flug knew that night would eventually end up in disaster. He just didn't know how disastrous it would be.
> 
> Well, now he knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. Am. DONE.
> 
> Freaking finally!! I was planning on finishing this weekend but my internet stopped working for three days. Worst weekend ever. I would've finished this chapter earlier but I had a PE presentation and I spent the last week worrying about it. But it was fine. Hopefully this chapter will be worth the wait. Sorry, y'all.
> 
> HAPPY READING :DD

“So you’ve _never_ eaten a marshmallow before?”

Dr. Flug didn’t know why that sounded so unbelievable. There were thousands of people out there — millions, even — who had never eaten a common food, and he just happened to be one of them. Marshmallows never stood out for him, not even during his childhood, when sweets were extremely limited, with the prohibition tempting him, making him want to eat them even more. Once he finally escaped that hell, the doctor used his first paycheck from Black Hat to buy as many distinctive sweets as he could find, and then he ate all of them (although he ate them slowly and on different days, since he wasn’t _that_ moronic). During his shopping spree, he did not think about buying marshmallows. They looked too weird, too simple, too bland, too small, too squishy… While they were aesthetically pleasing, Flug never thought they would taste good, so he moved onto the next aisle, completely forgetting about their existence. He’d set a budget and wouldn’t spend money on something he might not even like. He even remembers his dumb little teenage self, filled with pure hatred, wanting to take a picture of all the sweet he bought and send it to his father as some sort of revenge or compensation, or a message, but the idea was quickly discarded because it would do more harm than good. Hell, he had to resist the urge to take pictures of himself doing everything his father prevented him from doing and mail them to him out of spite at its finest (but at least the feeling of being able to do those things alone was enough to satisfy him for the time being). Thankfully, Flug managed to forgive himself for those idiotic thoughts. He had been a teenager, a mysterious creature filled to the brink with hormones, and (no matter how much he tried) he just couldn’t stop thinking about his damned _sperm donor_ , who had hurt him in unimaginable ways. “Uh, not really…” Flug answered, suddenly remembering the question he’d been asked, before picking a random marshmallow from a jar.

“You _must_ try it out, then!” He exclaimed, heavily emphasizing the ‘must’, and the doctor winced. He was used to being ordered around, and that part didn’t bother him in the slightest (the weakest ones are always the servants, after all). What really annoyed him was the fact that Atomus was making a big deal out of this, as if he had sacrificed his firstborn. “Frankly, what kind of person has never eaten a marshmallow?” He continued rambling, and that’s when Flug started pretending he was deaf— and maybe, just maybe, if he pretended enough, he would really become deaf, and then he wouldn’t have to hear everyone’s bullshit anymore. It’d be a dream come true. But, on the meantime, he was stuck with his five main senses, which only enhanced the unpleasant experience to the max. Well, on the bright side, Black Hat wasn’t there to dictate what he could and couldn’t do as if he owned him (even if he _technically_ did), so at least the doctor had a little more liberty now. Hell, he could eat that damn marshmallow and Black Hat wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop him. Yes, that was what freedom felt like…

Flug had been without it for so long that, for him, the word had lost its meaning. It had become just another word that he was unable — _forbidden_ — to reach.

Atomus had taken them downstairs like he said he would and, thankfully, there had been no more obstacles to face while they headed towards the ballroom, which was a huge relief and made Dr. Flug wonder it was actually possible to run out of bad luck. While he had high hopes, the universe seemed to have supplied him with an immeasurable amount. Knowing he shouldn’t think about his misfortune — which apparently attracted even more misfortune in what appeared to be an endless vicious cycle —, he focused on his surroundings instead. The ballroom was nothing short of palatial. The crystal floor glistered under him, almost acting like a mirror, being able to perfectly show their reflections. He could tell the walls had been carefully decorated, almost as if a tiny little error would be the end of the world. There was an expensive-looking chandelier above them made of crystal, and Flug couldn’t help but think it looked rather unstable. There were various fancy tables and chairs scattered around the ballroom for the guests to accommodate themselves, but most of them were still standing. At the back of the room, there was a long table containing a lot of food, both fancy and common (which was probably because different villains had different tastes and catering to only one group would be considered impolite).

Overall, the ballroom had a pleasant atmosphere combined with pleasant visuals, while the mansion’s hallways were eerie and dim. The contrast was impressive and somewhat surprising. And, even with that, there still one thing that managed to ruin the whole experience for Dr. Flug: the scents— or, more specifically, the _alpha_ scents. They were everywhere, and breathing became a much harder task than usual. If he were anyone else, he would have remained unperturbed, as alphas had been around since the beginning of humanity, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty off. The concentrated spicy smell was a permanent remark of who he was, and that he had to be prepared for any and every possibility (even the least realistic ones). There was no escape. If he presented right there and right now, that would be it. He could kiss his dreams and freedom and bodily autonomy goodbye. It was cruel and it was wrong, but it was the reality and he had to at least acknowledge it. “Doctor, calm down,” Atomus suddenly spoke, dragging Flug back to the real world. “You’re squeezing the poor marshmallow to death.” He didn’t realize his hands had curled into fists, with the movement being almost involuntary.

“Sorry,” he instinctively apologized despite having no reason to do so (he suspected this word was coded in his DNA at this point), choosing to relax his muscles and ease his mind instead of correcting himself. He could cancel his scent blocker’s effect if he got too worked up over a small, stupid slip-up. The scent blocker had hidden his scent completely so far, and he planned to keep it that way. He would be just fine. Dr. Flug’s last resort was to eye the marshmallow as if it had wronged him and murdered his family in their sleep (which was a very specific scenario, even for him).

“Don’t worry about it,” Atomus chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. “I was just joking around, if you really want to know. It’s okay to dislike marshmallows. My son hates them. My wife always gives him a wrapped box of marshmallows during Christmas. He goes into rage mode almost instantly. It’s like Hulk, but with a scrawny kid who thinks marshmallows are the Devil’s work,” he explained, leaning against the wall and snatching a marshmallow from the jar before swallowing the whole thing down without bothering to chew. This, however, wasn’t the part that made Flug’s brain do a double take. The other villain definitely noticed his disbelief and let out a chuckle he wasn’t planning on suppressing in the first place. “Did I surprise you?” The doctor found himself unable to answer such a simple question. His body and mind physically prevented him from doing so. So Atomus did have a family. He had a wife and a son. It was a completely normal thing, but Flug still couldn’t see the older villain as a husband and a father. His brain just malfunctioned whenever he tried to. “This makes me wonder…” He grabbed a second marshmallow, but did not eat it right away. “Your boss hates me, doesn’t he?” And, with that said, he ate the sweet. The doctor blinked at the non-sequitur.

“N-no, it’s not like that…” It was exactly like that. Now that Dr. Flug knew Atomus was married, his actions seemed a little less romantic and a bit more bizarre. Black Hat, on the other hand, didn’t know that small, almost insignificant fact. Powerful as he was, the eldritch did not have omnipresence or omniscience. This was a problem. Flug then eyed the marshmallow he’d been holding for way too long before hesitantly taking a bite. The sensation in his mouth was nothing short of weird, but, strangely enough, he liked it. “Oh, that’s really good,” he spoke nonchalantly before ungracefully shoving the rest of the marshmallow into his mouth. Atomus nodded knowingly, with a smile that clearly (and figuratively) said ‘I told you so’. Before he could say anything, however, Flug decided to change subjects. “S-so you have a son,” he stated, more out of incredulity than anything else. Part of him chose this specific subject because he was curious about Atomus’s family, and asking about his wife would be awkward. He watched as the other villain nodded, crossing his arms.

“I do,” he confirmed, reaching for a third marshmallow. Flug wondered if there’d be anything left if he kept eating them like this. “Kid’s an oddball, I’ll admit, but we do get along well. He does get on my nerves sometimes, especially when he starts talking about omegas.” Instead of eating it, the blonde villain chose to play with the confection, eyeing it closely and grinning in amusement as it slipped swiftly in between his gloved fingers. The doctor almost choked on his own saliva once that last word has been uttered. He took a step back, aghast.

“O-omegas…?” He questioned.

“Precisely,” Atomus responded. He seemed a little disinterested in the subject. He stopped toying with the marshmallow, but still didn’t eat it. He seemed concentrated on something. “That’s all he talks about. If you ask him anything about omegas, or just say the damn word, no matter the context, he’ll go on a long rant about _everything_ he knows, and let me tell you: he knows _a hell lot_. Sometimes he interrupts my work to talk about a new fact he learned about omegas. It’s maddening.” Dr. Flug nodded, pretending to listen and be interested in the subject. He now regretted choosing this specific subject. It’s not like he would meet Atomus’s son anytime soon (or ever), so he didn’t have anything to worry about. Talking about his secondary gender just made him _uncomfortable_ , as if he were a rare species that needed to be studied. “Hey, where’s your neon friend? You should probably give her a marshmallow. Has she ever eaten one?” Atomus finally stopped moving the marshmallow around and took a bite. Flug was relieved to see the older man chewing on it instead of swallowing it down whole. That’s when he remembered what he’d been asked and thought about it for a second. On one hand, Demencia had never left the manor, which meant it was unlikely that she had ever eaten one. On the other hand, she could buy things with his (and Black Hat’s) credit card. On a third, hypothetical hand, did she even _eat_? Other than flies, he’d never seen her eat anything before. Well, now he was intrigued.

“I’ll ask her,” he said, scanning the room in order to find a certain flashy hybrid, but she was nowhere to be seen. While he felt like this should’ve been strange, he wasn’t surprised. He was worried, and this was much worse. “I, uh, I’ll be right back,” Flug told Atomus before leaving his side. He walked around, hoping to find Demencia flirting with a random villain or getting drunk or high (or both) somewhere, but it was like she’d disappeared off of the face of the earth. This concerned him for a thousand reasons. First of all, when Black Hat gives her rules, she makes it her goal to break them (usually in the most ludicrous ways), and the first rule she was given was ‘no alcohol’. This couldn’t be good. Second, they were in a closed space full of opportunistic villains who were being civic to each other on their own will and with no supervision whatsoever, which meant that, if they decided to turn against each other, there would be no one to stop them, and Demencia would end up in the middle of this havoc. Finally, he went back to Atomus.

“Is something wrong?” He asked upon seeing the scientist’s obvious nervousness. He was still looking around, hastily searching for something, and this started once he mentioned that friend of hers. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots. Still, he remained silent, as he didn’t want to break Flug’s concentration, and it wasn’t his place to talk anyway. He still couldn’t help but be confused, however. How could someone lose that girl? She was a walking rave, for hell’s sake! Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Dr. Flug spoke.

“A-are there any other exits h-here, besides the staircase a-and the main one?” Atomus understood his question. If Demencia had taken the stairs, they would have seen it, so her being upstairs was definitely out of question (well, unless she made her animal motifs justice by being able to mingle with the ambient, that is, and it was highly doubtful). Dr. Flug was fidgeting; the thought of his sister getting hurt or lost was painful. Demencia was always bothering and annoying him in unimaginable ways, and if he were anyone else he’d say she wasn’t worth the trouble, but, for some unknown reason, he knew she _was_ worth the trouble. She was his sister, as much as he hated to admit it. After looking around for a little bit, Atomus found a semi-closed door not too far away from them. It had been recently painted in brown and had a shiny, golden doorknob, and it _still_ looked like it hadn’t been touched in centuries.

“Try that one,” he suggested, pointing to the door. Dr. Flug nodded, deciding not to waste time and immediately running after it. He could thank Atomus later. As of now, finding Demencia was his priority and nothing else. Once he’d reached the door, his hand hovered above the knob for a few seconds. Thousands of possibilities ran through his head as he tried to ignore his inner omega’s quiet voice telling him to go back while he had the chance. _No_ , Flug thought, narrowing his eyes; he refused to give up. He opened the door and stepped inside. Regret hit him instantly once he realized there were no light sources around. _It’s okay,_ Flug told himself, taking a deep breath in order to stop his heart from bursting out of sheer fear, _you’re okay_. He closed the door behind him, allowing darkness to consume the room whole, and started walking down the hall. All of the voices from the ballroom were now muffled by the door. There was no one else there.

He was alone.

**_.  .  ._ **

‘Nervous’ wasn’t a strong enough word to describe how Phantom currently felt.

Well, he _was_ nervous. Why shouldn’t he be? He was a hero in the middle of a sea of villains. He had a right to be terrified. As much as he wanted to go back and wait in the car, he had to follow the plan. Commander Fistfight must have repeated it at least a thousand times at this point: gather information, avoid conflict, and then leave. It was simple. To make this task easier, and to prevent them from being brutally murdered, tortured, or used as blackmail, the scientists from the OHC created a special type of mask that hid their identities by allowing them to shapeshift when a special code was said along with identification of their fingerprints. Phantom chose a completely different appearance from his default one, hoping the two didn’t look too similar. He didn’t want to be caught. Jason’s words were stuck in the back of his head. What if he did get caught? What if they really found out he was an omega? What would they do to him? There were many answers to this last question, but they had one thing in common: they were all equally horrifying. In order to mask his (probably apparent) nervousness, he adjusted his bowtie and looked around. There were villains everywhere, most of them being alphas. He had engaged in small talk with some of them, but none of them had any information deemed valuable for the OHC. At least he’d done a good job with his character, Umbra, and no one had suspected a thing yet.

His heart stopped, however, when his eyes landed on a certain albino villain.

Dr. Flug, the one he swore to avoid after his memorable and definitely less than enjoyable encounter with Black Hat, was talking to another villain — another _alpha_ —, and he seemed quite relaxed, if not slightly annoyed. Phantom did not think he’d be there, and thus wasn’t prepared to deal with this. _Umbra_ wasn’t prepared to deal with this. So, instead of trying to strike a conversation — which wouldn’t be a smart idea anyway, as Commander Fistfight told him they wouldn’t be fighting Black Hat, and therefore all information given would be useless in combat —, he walked away, trying to forget what he had seen. It wasn’t hard, however, because the next sight in front of him was delightful: Thunder Flux, who had taken the name of Arctic Alcor, an ice-themed villain, hitting on a random woman who was at the verge of drop-kicking him. Things like this reminded him that, no matter how dangerous or serious the situation was, there would still be idiots everywhere.

Yes, things would be fine…

“Enjoying the party, Umbra?” Daredevil, who was now known as Madame Crimson, asked nonchalantly as she held a flute of champagne between her gloved fingers; she did not appear to be drunk, thankfully. Phantom relaxed his muscles for a second. At least he wouldn’t be alone for the time being.

“Kind of,” he responded with a shrug, still eyeing Thunder Flux, who was now alone and with a bruise on his cheek. He seemed dazed. It wasn’t hard to figure out what happened while they weren’t looking. “Alcor seems to be enjoying it more than me.” Daredevil followed his gaze and realized what he meant. She cracked a smile, and then swallowed down the last bits of champagne in her flute. She then scanned the room. Amaranthos, who’d chosen to become Ryuu Riot, a dragon-themed villain, was casually talking to a female villain as if he’d been doing it ever since he was born. Commander Fistfight, now known as Eclipse, had joined a group of villains and sparked laughter with what seemed to be a joke or maybe a story. All of them had gone unnoticed and were accepted as fellow villains. Amaranthos, Daredevil, and Fistfight had no problem in fitting in with the others, being sociable and charming as they were. Phantom wasn’t exactly good at this, but he had still managed to start a few conversations, even if the information he received wasn’t useful. The only hero failing at such a simple thing was Thunder Flux, who thought hitting on girls was more important than the mission.

“He never changes.” She then grabbed his arm. “Come on, let’s drink some champagne. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

**_.  .  ._ **

Dr. Flug’s rushed steps echoed throughout the empty hallways.

Just when he thought he would never have to see them again, there he was, trying to find his way through the poorly-illuminated corridors. The air was heavy and dusty, irritating his lungs and making him cough every now and then. It made him wonder when those halls were last cleaned or even looked at. The wallpaper was decaying; the floor creaked eerily under his (or any) weight; the lightbulbs flickered, hanging onto their last threads of energy; the ceiling looked like it could succumb at any moment. Flug swore he could hear voices behind him, along with the feeling of heavy breathing in his neck, but there was no one there. Still, the feeling of being observed did not fade like he expected it to. It lingered instead, feeding off of his psychological fears. The place was utterly unsettling, and his fears which constantly played mind tricks on him did not help at all. He was starting to think he was no longer in the mansion, but rather in a complicated maze. Thankfully he was going straight instead of left and right, so finding his way out shouldn’t be a problem. He didn’t have time to memorize his path. Right now he needed to focus on finding Demencia. Why did she decide to there anyway? Other than its eerie atmosphere, the hall was uninteresting. There were old paintings scattered across the walls and floor, and the furniture was covered in thick layers of dust and spider webs. There was nothing to see there. Why would she even—

“Ow, shit!”

Dr. Flug didn’t mean to curse out loud, but it was too late to take his words back at this point. He unceremoniously fell to the floor after having tripped on something that he hadn’t seen lying around. _Today’s not my day,_ he concluded, forcing himself to stand up and wipe the dust from his suit, and then checking his mask. It was still intact, fortunately. It was a miracle he hadn’t bruised himself either. Well, he had officially wasted all of his luck. What unfortunate events would come next? He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. That’s when his eyes landed on an object which he hesitantly picked up. It was small, just barely as big as his hand, and very light. It was also practically invisible on the dark, and Flug had been too distracted with his own thoughts to pay attention to his surroundings. He analyzed the item in his hands further. It had an oval shape, was clearly made of glass, contained some liquid that was unknown to him, and had a label, but trying to read it in the dark as a dyslexic was impossible. He did see a sprinkler, however. His mind was divided in two: _do I press it or not?_ He could’ve weighed the pros and cons of each option, but he was running out of time, so he simply pressed it, curiosity getting the best of him. He saw as the bottle sprayed out some of the liquid that was inside.

“Oh,” Dr. Flug said, realizing that what he was holding in his hands was a mere perfume. Honestly, he shouldn’t have kept his hopes up in the first place. He was going to resume his quest to find his idiot of a sister when a familiar scent invaded his nostrils. It was sweet, almost flowery, and so, so soothing. It was like he’d just teleported to the middle of a garden of the most diverse flowers. It was almost like… _Oh_ , he thought, as his body tensed and he recoiled in horror almost immediately. That perfume, that sweet, sweet perfume…

That perfume smelled like an unmated omega…

An _omega perfume_.

His breath hitched. It was as if breathing the perfume would kill him. All alarm bells went off at the same time in his head. He had forgotten about the omega perfume. And then he realized two very important things. Demencia was gone, and there was an omega perfume — the same perfume she told him she had bought — in the middle of the hallway she’d probably been to recently. Flug tried to tell himself that correlation did not imply causation like he’d told Black Hat before, but it was impossible. She wouldn’t just disappear like that, right…? And why would an omega perfume be in the middle of the hallway just like that? Everything seemed too _coincidental_. He needed to find Demencia. Dr. Flug didn’t even notice he was running now, clutching the bottle to his chest like his life depended on it. His heart was hammering inside of his ribcage, threatening to explode at any second now, every pulsation sending waves of fear and anxiety through his body, making him run faster and faster until his legs were numb and his mind was blank, focusing on the only important task at that moment. The echo of his footsteps became louder, longer, scarier, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything. He had to—

“—now, Cyprian?”

Flug halted.

He had stopped at the end of the corridor. That was it. That was the end, and yet Demencia was nowhere to be seen. There was only a semi-open door in front of him. That, however, wasn’t the reason he’d stopped. He’d stopped because of a voice, and this time it wasn’t just his imagination.

“Quiet, you imbecile! Someone might hear us!” A deep voice hypocritically shouted in response. It was loud and harsh, almost like Black Hat’s. In fact, the two came scarily close when compared to each other. The similarity sent shivers down Dr. Flug’s spine. He spotted a door, which was the source of the voices, just a few feet away from him. His steps, once loud and noticeable, were now as light as a plume. He tried to be as furtive as he could. Being stealthy was not his cup of tea, but, being naturally light, he could easily become one with the silence. Once he had approached the door, Flug made sure to stay out of sight. Those were alpha villains, he was sure, and he was both unarmed and defenseless. A bottle of perfume wouldn’t do much to deter them and, while his secondary gender _could_ be used as a weapon, it was definitely out of question. He didn’t want anyone to know he was an omega. He wasn’t near enough to be seen, but he wasn’t too far away either. This position was perfect to eavesdrop. “And you know I don’t like sharing my toys,” he said in a low, suggestive voice. Another shiver ran down Flug’s spine, not even ten seconds after the first one. This voice was filled with what he could only define as desire. The heavy, dusty air was suddenly filled with the scent of an aroused alpha, making Dr. Flug’s legs tremble— not out of arousal, but out of fear. Why was he even there? He needed to find Demencia, but there he was, spying on other villains like a preteen girl in search for gossip. He was wasting precious time he could be using to search for Demencia instead.

“You’re overreacting, C-boy,” a third voice, high-pitched and feminine, told Cyprian. There was a subtle hint of amusement in her tone.

“He’s always—”

“Hush, you two,” Cyprian hissed. He stopped releasing aroused alpha pheromones, and started releasing pheromones which indicated annoyance instead. It wasn’t a suggestion, it was a _warning_. “I don’t want to hear your disgusting voices.”

“Wow, rude,” the feminine voice said, feigning hurt.

“Ceri, please…”

“Fine, I’ll shut up, but only because you asked, Aram.”

“Shut up or I’ll throw you both under the sunlight!” Dr. Flug fidgeted where he stood, not finding the courage he needed to leave and pretend he hadn’t heard anything. He was frozen in place, as if someone had hit his pause button. He blinked when he heard a muffled cry not too far away from him, and his heart stopped. He could almost _feel_ Cyprian’s grin. “Ah, yes, that reminds me.” There was a brief pause, and then there was a yelp. Flug could feel his throat tightening. This couldn’t be happening. This _shouldn’t_ be happening. “Don’t worry, omega, this won’t hurt… much.” Flug bit his lip when he heard a small whine. This was undoubtedly Demencia, trying to escape Cyprian’s grasp. He wanted to go there and punch the man in the guts, but he couldn’t. He _couldn’t_ , and he hated it. But why couldn’t he? His eyes widened and his whole body stiffened in utter fear once he heard a muffled, albeit still bloodcurdling scream. He tightened his grip on the perfume he was holding in his hands, reminding him of the situation. What could he do? He should call Black Hat. He would know how to deal with this, wouldn’t he? Yes, he could deal with that, but… The corridor was long. It was so long and dark and—

“What’s wrong, Cyp?”

“That bitch isn’t an omega, that’s what’s wrong!” Cyprian bellowed, not bothering to hide his rage. Flug’s breath hitched. There was no time to waste. They had found out. He had to act _now_.

“But she smells like an om—”

“It doesn’t matter what she smells like! She doesn’t even have scent glands! I wasn’t able to claim her!” Upon hearing those words, the doctor’s mind became heavy and his breathing became unstable. That man… That man had tried to claim his sister. He had tried to bond with her. He had tried to _make her_ his _mate_. Now, saying Flug would be angry if someone tried to bond with him was an understatement, and he was glad Demencia wasn’t an omega, but what if she had been? The fact that they were so vulnerable like that was horrifying. His whole body shook with rage. He didn’t care about calling Black Hat anymore. He was going to _kill_ Cyprian.

“ _Don’t do it_ ,” his inner omega fretted, realizing what he was about to do and trying to awaken his logical side. “ _Call alpha. Alpha knows what do to. Alpha can defend you. Let alpha protect you._ ”

Dr. Flug gritted his teeth, refusing to give in to his instincts, as he kicked the door open. His inner omega whimpered feebly in protest before going back to rest, knowing it was not needed for now.

The door swung open with a loud ‘bam’, making him realize he might’ve gone a little overboard with his entrance (“just like Black Hat,” he’d say). If the trio hadn’t been noticing him before, they sure were now. He could feel three pairs of blood red eyes on him, watching with shock and confusion. Their appearances were, like their eyes, not too natural either. The only female, who had been called ‘Ceri’, looked exactly like her male counterparts, except for her waist-length, ebony-colored hair, and other feminine characteristics (such as wide hips) that only a male omega could mimic. Her other features were similar to those of the other two: sharp fangs, slim body, and pale skin. The males, however, had short hair which had been gelled back. And, of course, they were all dressed in black. He should also add bonus points for their secondary genders: they were alphas. This, however, wasn’t what he had barged in for. His eyes darted around until they landed on two specific silhouettes in the dark. One of them reeked of angry alpha, and the other shivered under the first one, not daring move a muscle or even breathe. Dr. Flug felt his soul burn at the scene in front of him. Demencia had a bite mark on her shoulder which looked like it wouldn’t heal for a while, and the wound would definitely leave a scar. His own shoulder began hurting empathically as he thought about that. Cyprian had covered her mouth with one of his hands to stop her from crying for help while pressing his body against hers to prevent her escape. She smelled like an omega, which made Flug realize he was right in thinking she had used the perfume. “Who the fuck are you?” Cyprian asked, narrowing his eyes and baring his teeth in an attempt to look intimidating.

Dr. Flug’s next action wasn’t planned at all. In fact, it was something from the heat of the moment, and something he would’ve never done if he had stopped to think properly. His body had moved on its own, ignoring his brain’s warnings to stop and be logical for a second. He charged against the man pinning his sister to the wall, one hand curled into a tight fist while the other held the omega perfume tightly, and took a leap of faith.

He punched Cyprian in the face.

“ _You fucked up now,_ ” his inner omega told him, and he knew. He watched as Cyprian stumbled back in shock, losing his footing for half a second, before quickly recovering from the punch. His head turned to the one who had punched him, eyes bearing an indescribable but very clear rage. “You’re bold, aren’t you, kid?” He took a step forward, holding his bruised cheek. Dr. Flug immediately and warily took a step back, ignoring his throbbing hand. Cyprian’s siblings did the same as they stared at their sibling with wide eyes. Demencia, who would usually crack a joke in this situation to break the silence, was frozen in place. The only omega in the room (who’d have scolded Cyprian for having called him a ‘kid’ if he weren’t in danger of extinction at the moment) wouldn’t let his courage die out just yet. If he was going to die, then at least he’d die with dignity. The alpha scowled, seemingly not in the mood for a fight. “Y’know, I’m feeling pretty merciful today. Leave, beta.” Flug had done a lot of stupid things in his life. Punching Cyprian in the face was one of them. He did stupid things when he didn’t stop to think about his actions and their impact. And, right now, he didn’t think about his actions either. He should have, but he didn’t. And he was an idiot for not doing so.

“Make me, _alpha_.”

Dr. Flug had tried to tease Cyprian, but he hadn’t considered one small detail — a tiny flaw in his way of thinking —, however. When an omega calls an alpha by their secondary gender’s name, it’s an invitation, a _call_ , and the alpha is forced to acknowledge that. Perhaps that was why Black Hat reacted so strongly to the word, and why Flug could have any alpha wrapped around his finger for a short period of time if he wished. He only realized what he’d done once he saw Cyprian’s expression shift from rage to something else in mere milliseconds. He gaped at him with wide, unblinking eyes for a brief moment before taking a step forward. His actions were slow, calculated, and _careful_ , as if any sudden movement could make the omega in front of him disappear. “ _An omega_ ,” he whispered matter-of-factly. The lust that had once been in his voice was back. Dr. Flug tensed. His inner omega was right.

He had indeed fucked up.

He had to act fast now. Spotting Demencia, who was still leaning against the wall, paralyzed from fear and shock, he grabbed the perfume and threw it towards her direction. “Hold it!” The hybrid blinked at the sudden command, but she acknowledged it and obeyed, extending one hand and swiftly catching the bottle that had been thrown. She stared at him with confusion, not knowing why he gave her the perfume back. Dr. Flug knew, however. He couldn’t run with that thing in his hands. If it slipped and broke, he’d be in even more trouble. He started to back out of the room slowly, trying his best to be stealthy. The others, however, noticed his attempt.

“Aramastus, Ceridwyn,” Cyprian called, taking another step forward. His siblings’ eyes went from Flug to their brother, awaiting his order.

“ ** _Catch him_.** ”

Dr. Flug’s heart skipped a beat once he heard those words. He took off almost immediately, and the trio didn’t waste time in chasing after him. He was running faster than he’d ever run before. There was no time to waste. He couldn’t afford slowing down or tripping. If he was caught, that was it. That was the end. His whole body shook at that thought. He couldn’t even feel his heart anymore. Was it even beating? He didn’t know, and, if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t blame it. He wouldn’t handle the pressure either. His inner omega was wide awake now, fully aware of the whole situation, and it could only give him one simple advice. _“Go to alpha. Let alpha protect you,”_ it said. This wasn’t a suggestion, it was an _order_. In any other circumstance, he wouldn’t have listened to it. He would have pretended it never existed in the first place. The Inners were a representation of an alpha or omega’s primal instincts, and it’d been said that an omega’s instinct was to cower behind their mate whenever they were in a tight spot. Flug, however, knew that he was better than that, and that he wouldn’t be caught dead following his primitive instincts. He usually gave his inner omega the cold shoulder whenever it tried to dictate how he should live his life. This, however, was different. He didn’t have any other options. He was being chased by a trio of hungry alphas. There was literally nothing he could do but obey.

He had to find Black Hat.

If it had taken him five minutes to reach the end of that hallway, it only took him ten seconds to reach the entrance. He slammed the door open without a care, but no one in the room moved or blinked an eye towards his direction. The doctor didn’t know if that was good or bad. It was good because he didn’t want more unnecessary attention drawn towards him, but it was equally bad because the attention would potentially force the trio of maniacs behind him to stop. He didn’t have time to think about this, however. He had to focus on escaping, not dying, and finding his boss. Those three things were his priorities. Out of instinct, and knowing Cyprian, Aramastus, and Ceridwyn would catch up with him shortly, Dr. Flug dashed towards the stairs, not even realizing he had run past Atomus, who was ready to speak to him, but stopped when he was ignored completely. The gears inside his head started turning when he saw three other villains chasing after the doctor.

The easy part, which was knowing where Black Hat actually was, could be scratched off of his list of preoccupations. The hard part was finding his way through the maze of hallways in order to reach him. His legs and lungs were already burning with all of the effort and pressure. His vision was blurry, and his head spun and throbbed painfully, desperately asking for a break. He couldn’t afford stopping now, however. This would mean the end of his freedom and the ruin of his public image (which was already laughable enough). Instead of trying to figure out where he should go, Flug let his inner omega take over and guide him. It knew where to go. He just had to follow along. Once again, he found himself surrounded by those dim-lit corridors. They became more suffocating the more he walked forward. The sounds of his footsteps and accelerated breathing pierced his ears. His whole body was on fire, but he didn’t stop. “ _Alpha is close. You’re almost there,”_ his inner omega informed him, trying to make those words sound encouraging. Truth be told, they _were_ encouraging. This nightmare would finally be over. He was going to be okay. He was—

“Got you, _bitch_.”

Dr. Flug’s heart leapt to his throat when he felt his hair — his _ponytail_ , more specifically — being violently pulled back. He stumbled backwards before falling to the floor, his back hitting the hard surface rather harshly, knocking the breath out of his lungs. The situation had been all too familiar to him. The pain was the most memorable feeling out of them all. The _fear_ , however, quickly took over, and he began to hyperventilate. He had been so, _so_ close to his destination. Was this how it was going to end? It couldn’t be. He couldn’t have done all of this for nothing. Cyprian, the one who had knocked him down, did not waste time in pinning all of his limbs down, erasing all hopes of an escape. Yes, that was it, he was cornered. “You actually caught him, Cyp,” Ceridwyn, who quickly joined her brother, said, astounded, as she eyed the scientist from eye to toe, like a predator admired its prey before delivering the final blow. Aramastus shyly walked up to them, not daring make eye contact with Flug. He simply couldn’t find it in him to do so, not even if he tried to. Cyprian gave her a murderous stare.

“Call me ‘Cyp’ again and I’ll suck the blood out of your neck,” he threatened. Ceridwyn did not seem bothered at all.

“You’re always saying that, bro, but you never follow through,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “A barking dog never bites.” Her brother growled, but did not reply. Instead, he shifted his focus from her to the cowering omega under him.

Dr. Flug would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared. He was scared. He was terrified. His whole body shook with fear, heart thundering in his chest, his mind going through the endless possibilities of how this would end. The most likely (and most horrifying) scenario was Cyprian claiming him without his consent, officially making him his mate. Flug couldn’t let this happen. He wasn’t going to give up so easily, especially since he was alone and in no condition to fight. He had to find a way out of this. His previous plan was to go to Black Hat for protection, and, now that he could no longer move, he had to upend his plan. He had to make Black Hat come to _him_ , and he knew exactly how to do that. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth and prepared himself. And then, just when he was ready to scream for help, Cyprian’s hand flew towards his mouth, preventing him from following through with his plan. The sudden action caught the scientist off guard. “Shit, I almost forgot he could scream.” Flug’s eyes widened when the man’s sharp nails dug into the skin of his cheek. The pain was almost unbearable. He had a free hand now, but it would be of no use. In fact, he would only end up worsening the situation by trying to do something against his captors. “This is so fucking hard.”

“Y-you could use an alpha command,” Aramastus suggested. “I mean, he _is_ an omega, isn’t he?”

“This is the first good idea you’ve had in ages,” Cyprian said, rolling his eyes, before turning to Flug, who stiffened in response. This had to be a joke. The grin crossed the alpha’s face indicated he was serious. “Omega, I command you to _submit to me_.” He did. His muscles which had once been tense immediately relaxed, he lost all control of his body, and his free will disappeared with the wind. It was a terrifying sensation, as if he had never been in this body in the first place, like some sort of astral projection. He was vulnerable, and he _hated_ it. Despite being an omega, Flug had never been alpha commanded in his entire life. He hadn’t known what it felt like before, but now he knew. Naturally, he had felt helplessness before, being the only human villain surrounded by three inhuman creatures that could easily cause more damage than he would ever dream of causing, but this… This was new level of helplessness, one he had hoped to never reach. Alas, he had reached rock bottom. Once he realized the alpha command had been effective, Cyprian removed his hand from the scientist’s mouth and stopped pinning his limbs down. Dr. Flug tried to move, struggle, escape, scream, do _anything_ , but he was petrified. He was just a mind inside a puppet.

“Shit, it actually worked!” Ceridwyn mimicked her brother’s Cheshire grin. “Let me try!”

“No,” Cyprian responded, not taking his eyes off Dr. Flug and ignoring his sister’s pout. He let out a dark chuckle. “Claiming you will be so much fun.”

No.

**_No._ **

He couldn’t be bonded; not here, not now, and definitely not by a stranger. Demencia wouldn’t let him live it down. Black Hat wouldn’t let him _live_. Would he even want a used omega around? If he were bonded and mated, would Dr. Flug even see Black Hat again? He didn’t want to know the answer to this. Black Hat could easily find a better scientist, one that wasn’t an omega who constantly needed protection. If he found a beta willing to work for him — which would be a fairly easy task since working for the amazing and powerful Black Hat was the greatest of honors in the villain world —, Flug would be shushed and locked away as a prize mate, forgotten in a heartbeat. Speaking of which, his heart skipped a beat when Cyprian tugged at his bowtie, the smug grin never leaving his face. The doctor couldn’t take his eyes off the man’s sharp canines. Thinking about those things mercilessly piercing his skin made him shudder. That’s when things clicked for him. Sharp teeth, pale skin, red eyes, slender body, long nails, threats of sunlight and sucking blood… _Holy shit, they’re vampires_ , he realized. If only he had a small ray of sunlight to stop them, or even some garlic, but it was of no use. His days of freedom were officially over. “Do you think he’ll reject the bond?” Ceridwyn asked, curious. Cyprian never responded, focusing solely on his prey.

“A male omega…” He whispered lustfully. “All _mine_ …” Dr. Flug closed his eyes shut. He felt like a piece of meat. “Mine…” His heart was racing now, wondering when the pain would come. He could feel Cyprian’s hot breath on his neck. The sensation sent shivers down his spine.

_Don’t want, don’t want, don’t want, don’t want, don’t want, don’t want, DON’T WANT, DON’T WANT, DON’TWANTDON’TWANT **DON’TWANT** —_

_“Snap out of it!”_

And he did.

It had been a matter of seconds. In one moment he was at the vampires’ mercy, completely vulnerable, and in the other he regained his ability to control his body. He had _snapped out of the alpha command_. He could do that? _How_? No, he had to focus. Flug’s job required quick thinking, so he was quite skilled at that when he needed to be. He saw how Cyprian was putting most of his weight on the upper part of his body, considering how close to his neck he saw. And, as a vampire, he was quite light too. He could use those two things to his advantage. With enough determination and strength he didn’t know he possessed, the omega placed his knees on the alpha’s abdomen and pushed them up. Cyprian stumbled forward with the imbalance and fell. Ceridwyn and Aramastus just stared, flabbergasted. Dr. Flug decided not to take their confusion for granted. Still sitting down, he kicked Aramastus in the back of the knees, and the vampire instinctively grabbed his sister’s arm, trying to use her as support, but she, being lighter than he was, couldn’t handle his weight, so they both fell to the floor — and on top of their brother — like two dominos.

There was no time to waste. Flug fled the scene, choosing to head towards the ballroom instead of finding Black Hat. If he tried to do the latter, those vampires would eventually catch up with him and he would have to repeat the process all over again _if_ he were lucky; this would be even more difficult because they’d be more wary of his ability to not follow the alpha command. Choosing to go somewhere full of people was the most logical option. Luckily he wasn’t that far away from the ballroom, so finding his way through that maze of corridors wouldn’t be that much of a problem. He could’ve yelled for his boss like he originally intended, but, now that his dignity was back, he decided not to; besides, Black Hat would undoubtedly be angry and disappointed in his dependence on him. The only thing he found strange was that his inner omega never protested to his change of plans. Quite the contrary, in fact; it sounded pleased, and Dr. Flug didn’t know why. His instinct in this situation would be to run to the nearest non-threatening alpha, and Black Hat fit into this category. What was happening, exactly? _Oh, good, there are the fucking stairs_ , he thought, frustrated, quickening his already fast enough pace. The doctor tried to be as careful as possible with the stairs so he wouldn’t trip and break all of his bones. His luck was already bad as it was, and more injuries wouldn’t help his case.

As soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, Flug, who had been too absorbed in his own worries to think about coordination, managed to trip over his own feet (this was a common occurrence, unfortunately). He prepared himself mentally for the fall and the subsequent pain before someone hastily grabbed his hand and pulled him all the way up. His eyes widened in fear and he immediately slapped the hand away, spinning on his heels, expecting Cyprian to be there with his smug grin, followed by his siblings, but he found himself staring into a familiar pair of green eyes. “S-shit, I’m sorry,” Dr. Flug apologized in embarrassment, straightening his posture. He couldn’t believe he had just done that. Atomus shook his head negatively and smiled, but it faltered.

“No worries, but…” He hesitated for a second, thinking about a way to put his doubts into words. He just hoped his curiosity wasn’t noticeable. “Were you being chased just now or…?” He trailed off, not knowing how to finish the question. Neither of them knew what to do. Atomus didn’t know if asking this was the right thing to do, and Flug didn’t know if he should answer truthfully or not. Knowing he would only spark more doubt and worry by telling the truth (which was almost unbelievable to begin with), and that he would have to talk about his true secondary gender so things would make more sense, which he would _never_ do, the doctor knew he should just lie. He didn’t want to bring anyone into his personal affairs.

“Look, I can’t—”

That was all Dr. Flug managed to say before he was unexpectedly and violently thrown against the nearest wall, and then pinned against it. Cyprian’s face was only a few centimeters from his own. ‘Furious’ wasn’t a strong enough word to describe how the alpha was currently feeling. “You _bitch_ ,” he spat, lifting his victim up. His grip around Flug’s throat tightened, and the latter gasped for air. He scratched the vampire’s hand hopelessly, doing whatever he could to get more oxygen to his lungs, but his gloves weren’t helping at all. “Sounds like we’ll have to do this the hard way, huh?” He turned to Atomus, hoping he could be helpful, but the man was in a similar situation. Atamastus and Ceridwyn were holding his limbs, and thus preventing him from moving or intervening with their brother’s business. Cyprian, who now had a grin to match with his crazy glare, continued his monologue. “Maybe I’ll mark you right here, so those alphas will see you’re mine and _mine only_.” His grip couldn’t become tighter. His nails pierced his neck’s skin just like they pierced the skin of his cheek, and if he tried a little more he could easily perforate an important vein. Flug thought he was going to die there and then. He could see that a few villains were now looking at them in curiosity, but no one moved from their spot.

Flug panicked when his vision started to spin and darken. He was going to pass out from the lack of oxygen. That was it. He was going to faint and become as defenseless as a newborn kitten, and Cyprian would take advantage of that. He tried to fight against the unconsciousness, tried to stay awake for as long as he could, tried to be strong, but he couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t… Couldn’t…

Everything was…

… Was so far away…

… So…

… _Distant_ …

“Get off my brother, cunt!”

Nobody had seen it happen. Demencia came out of nowhere, and was at a disadvantage number and strength-wise, but she’d been faster and smarter than all of the vampires. In less than a second she was next to Dr. Flug and in front of Cyprian, eyes bearing a rage stronger than anyone else’s. She held the perfume up and, before any of the siblings could react, pressed the sprinkler, spraying some the liquid inside of the bottle right into Cyprian’s eyes, who had been taken aback. He screamed in pain, letting go of Flug so he could scratch at his eyes. Noticing he was too distracted with his own pain to pay attention to anything or anyone else, Demencia lunged forward and pushed him to the floor. The scientist he’d been holding hostage fell to the floor and immediately took a deep breath, trying to take in as much air as a human could. He coughed twice when it was too much, rubbed his sore neck in an attempt to soothe the pain that was quickly spreading through his whole body, and looked up. Demencia smiled apologetically and extended a hand to him, which he gladly accepted. “You ok?” She asked. Flug didn’t know how to answer this question, so he shrugged weakly. Moving his body hurt a lot.

“Could be better, I think,” he responded.

The two stiffened when a bitter laugh echoed throughout the whole room, and their eyes fell on Cyprian. The vampire was still on the floor, one hand holding his left eye while the other was used to support himself. He stood up in less than a second. Demencia and Dr. Flug took a step back, both of them hitting the wall behind them and noticing there was no hope left. Strangely enough, Cyprian never attacked them. He simply watched the two instead; his eyes were noticeably red and irritated because of the perfume. Atomus finally broke free from Ceridwyn and Aramastus’s grasps and ran forward, standing between the vampire and the duo. Flug looked around and panicked for what seemed to be the tenth time that night. They had spectators, and not only one or two; the whole ballroom was watching the scene. There were people pushing each other so they could reach the front row to see what was happening. Those who could fly were doing exactly that, managing to get the best view of the scene. It was like they were watching the Hunger Games. “What the hell do you want?” Atomus asked, feeling his patience run thin. He didn’t care about the thousands of prying eyes watching him and his every move.

“I want the omega,” Cyprian told him. Atomus raised an eyebrow, thinking he might’ve heard that wrong.

“You want _what_?”

“You heard me, blondie,” the vampire teased as he threateningly took a step forward, but the other never flinched or moved from where he stood when he did it. He wasn’t going to show weakness in a room full of villains, and Cyprian didn’t scare him anyway. Speaking of the devil… “I want the omega,” he repeated slowly and loudly, leaving no room for misunderstandings. Ceridwyn and Aramastus exchanged worried glances, but did not dare interrupt their brother. They knew that he couldn’t be stopped. A few villains started whispering among themselves, but neither Dr. Flug nor anyone near him could hear what they were saying. _It’s for the best_ , he concluded.

“Uh…” Atomus didn’t know what to say. So he hadn’t heard it wrong. He wished he had, however. “There’s no omega here.” Cyprian chuckled.

“There sure is,” he said, almost as if he were talking to a little child. “And I want him back. He is _mine_.” There was a dangerous hint of possessiveness in his voice. Atomus paused for a second, and then he let out a weak laugh, running a hand through his hair. Flug envied him for being able to keep calm — he even _laughed_ in Cyprian’s face, for fuck’s sake! — under such a stressful circumstance. The whispers intensified.

“Okay, friend, I don’t know which rock you’ve been living under, but male omegas are officially extinct.” Dr. Flug shook. He felt like he’d just been hit by a plane, and had to do a double take.

_Male omegas…_

_Are officially extinct…?_

This had to be a joke, right…? Male omegas… They couldn’t be extinct. He couldn’t be the last one. This was a lie. There _had_ to be other male omegas around. He had managed to hide, after all, so other omegas might’ve done the same, right…? Yes, that had to be it… _Stop stressing over this_ , Flug told himself, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. He would’ve laughed if it was appropriate, but kept quiet. He could feel the others’ glares, he could feel their judgement, and laughing at a time like this would only warrant more stares towards him. He looked at Atomus, who did not look like he was kidding. Cyprian’s grin had grown inhumanly wider as he glared directly at Flug. The latter shivered. Hell, just a stare was enough to send him over the edge. “Then this makes you even more special, doesn’t it, _darling_?” Dr. Flug resisted the urge to gag at the pet name and the sentence as a whole. His voice was so low and condescending… It was disgusting. Atomus turned to Flug, and then to Cyprian. Everybody could see the gears in his head turning. The audience couldn’t blame him, for they were also processing the words the vampire had uttered. The disbelief was almost palpable. Demencia turned to him, eyes filled with fear and confusion. The doctor refused to make eye contact with anyone. He stared downcast, pretending no one was there. “I got you all, didn’t I? Well, then watch this.” _Oh no, what is he going to do?_ Dr. Flug asked as he braced himself. “Omega, I command you to _come to me_.”

Oh…

_Oh._

**_Oh, fuck._ **

Dr. Flug and everybody’s eyes widened when he went.

He didn’t want to go, but there was nothing he could do. An alpha command was an alpha command, no matter what alpha uttered it. He had broken out of the first one due to sheer luck but, as expected, he ran out, and now only fate would decide what would happen next. He had lost all control of his body, and became a simple vessel. He was a mind inside a body he could no longer control, and it hurt. It hurt to know that three simple words could change his life, either for the best or for the worst; it didn’t matter. The whole ballroom, which had once been alive with whispers and quiet giggles due to the semi-peaceful argument between Cyprian and Atomus, had now fallen quiet. No one spoke, no one breathed, and no one blinked. They were fixated on the omega in the middle of the ballroom. Flug stopped right in front of Cyprian, whose smug grin was still plastered on his face. Despite having done what he’d been told, the doctor still did not regain control over his body. He was still trapped in the vortex of the alpha command. “Now, omega, I command you to kiss me.” His heart almost exploded there and then. _Like hell I will!_ His mind screamed. His stomach was bubbling with nervousness. He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to do any of this. He just wanted to go home and forget this day ever existed. Curse his luck.

Dr. Flug could feel Cyprian approaching as he leaned in closer and closer, ready to kiss him. He had to do something. He couldn’t let this happen. He had _never_ kissed someone, and his first wouldn’t be that bastard. Cyprian was so, so close now…

_“Are you really going to stoop this low?”_

That voice…

_“You’re better than that. Snap out of it.”_

Flug snapped out of it.

His face was only a few centimeters away from Cyprian’s. He could feel the vampire’s hot breath that smelled like cinnamon. Like the punch, his next action was completely unplanned. Instead of kissing the alpha like he was expected to, Dr. Flug kneed him between the legs with as much force as he could. Pleasure spread through his body when he saw the other’s face contort in pain and shock, and took a step back as the vampire fell on his knees. His hands went to his groin in a pathetic attempt to stop the pain. The omega took this moment of weakness to grab his hair and then bring his face to his knee. Pleasure became rage as he wished to hurt Cyprian more and more. He needed revenge, needed to make up for everything he and Demencia went through. He wanted to rip his heart out, choke him with his own gastric acid, and maybe use his guts to make a rudimentary harp… The possibilities of torture and public shaming were endless. He was forced to stopped when the alpha collapsed to the floor, having been beat to the point of unconsciousness — even though he had only been hit twice —, and the only indication that he was still alive was his breathing. Dr. Flug would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed. His fun had ended too soon. That, however, brought him back to reality, making him realize there were thousands of villains watching his every move. The tension was still in the air, along with a somewhat sweet scent that almost smelled like…

… Like…

It almost smelled like _him_ …

No… No, it smelled _exactly_ like him. Flug had literally canceled his scent blocker again by getting worked up over beating Cyprian up until he fainted. His breath hitched when someone took a step forward. They looked fairly harmless, but he could see a small glister in their eyes, something he’d usually deem curiosity, but he knew that, in this situation, it was something else. It was something more alarming. “… Are you really an omega?” Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Nobody did anything to disturb the silence. Their eyes were on the scientist in the middle of the room, eagerly awaiting a confirmation or a denial. It was too late to lie, however. Flug’s scent was already spreading throughout the whole ballroom, and he could see a few villains sniffing the air like hungry wolves. He felt vulnerable — _helpless_ — again, and it was a horrible feeling. There was nothing he could do at this point. He was trapped. There was only one exit, not counting the windows and balconies, and he had no superpowers like super speed or teleportation, so the alphas would eventually catch up with him. He was a lamb in the middle of a pack of hungry wolves. At this point, there was only one thing he could do…

“Yes.”

That was it. It was over.

“I am an omega.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to end the chapter here to torture you guys.
> 
> Fun fact: the word 'marshmallow' has been typed 19 times. I went to the market with my mom yesterday and we bought marshmallows. They're nice. I like marshmallows.
> 
> I seriously can't believe I have 952 kudos and 85 bookmarks. This means so much to me, guys. I love all of you. All of your kudos and bookmarks and comments inspire me to keep going. Bring them on!! And now I'm going to pass out from exhaustion. Please excuse me.
> 
> EDIT: Fixed some typos and minor errors.


	11. His fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos has been unleashed. Flug finds himself trapped inside of that hellish manor with no chance of escape. Eglantine finds herself having someone to talk to. Amadeus finds himself having to prevent havoc from spreading.
> 
> Black Hat is less than pleased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE I AM  
> THIS IS ME  
> THERE'S NOWHERE ELSE ON EARTH I'D RATHER BE
> 
> Lmao joke I wanna go to bed. BUT at least I'm done! This had 14.000 words and I've wasted so many brain cells writing this, you guys have no idea. I mostly wrote this chapter in school and then passed what I wrote to the computer, but I'm glad it turned out okay. I'm kind of proud of this chapter, really, especially since it's a big one. And I also wanna thank my mom, my dad, my director... Alright, alright, all jokes aside, I want to thank all of you. The last chapter received A TON of positive feedback and I wanna thank you guys so much for that! I'm so happy for the 1041 kudos and 96 bookmarks, it makes my heart swell =3 I also want to thank Catallari for the amazing fanart which can be found here: http://catallari.tumblr.com/post/167077879789/im-an-omega (it's so breathtaking oml).
> 
> And now that this is done, to the chapter!

_“I am an omega.”_

Dr. Flug immediately closed his eyes and hugged himself, bracing for impact. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was terrified. With his eyes closed, there was no way to know how the others would react to his words. Being honest, he didn’t want to know. He would rather be kept in the dark than acknowledge the hundreds — _thousands_ — of alphas staring at him, both villains and minions alike. Despite the shocking reveal, no one spoke or gasped. If the room hadn’t been quiet before, it now was. His scent was quickly taking over. The mixed smell of jasmines and roses was sweet and suffocating at the same time, and it showed just how scared and anxious he was. Flug didn’t even realize he’d been releasing pheromones that indicated how he was feeling. It was supposed to be a defense mechanism, but it had backfired badly. _I hate this, I hate this, I hate this_ , he repeatedly told himself in his head. His heart was beating faster than ever, and he didn’t know how much longer he had until someone from the crowd sprinted towards him with the intention to make him their mate. He knew this would happen soon enough. Perhaps it wouldn’t happen at this ball, but many people out there — mostly the ones who were associated with the Omega Cross — would do anything for an omega. The Alpha Sphere was known for its rich and ruthless members. Noticing he was starting to hyperventilate, Flug tried to calm himself down. _Take deep, slow breaths_ , Black Hat had told him. He started doing that. It didn’t help much, but it was a start. _Count from one to ten_ , the nurse at his school had advised him when he had his first panic attack. Dr. Flug did just that, all while his fellow villains started awakening from and snapping out of their shock stupor.

_One…_

“Holy fucking shit…”

_Two…_

“A male omega...”

_Three…_

“Aren’t they extinct, though?”

_Four…_

“What if he’s lying?”

_Five…_

“He doesn’t smell like a bonded omega.”

_Six…_

“What’s an omega doing here anyway?”

_Seven…_

“Don’t worry. I’ll put him in his place.”

_Eight…_

“I noticed he wasn’t bonded first. Ergo it’s my right to claim him.”

_Nine…_

“If you have to play by the rules to get an omega, then you don’t deserve one in the first place.”

_…Ten._

“ ** _He’s mine!_** ”

Dr. Flug jumped back almost immediately.

As soon as he did that, two aggressive alphas lunged forward and collided against each other rather violently. He had avoided being hit in the nick of time, though he did end up tripping on his own shoes again, making him stumble and fall on his bottom. The doctor started dragging himself backwards until he was pressing his back against the wall, trying to go right through it so he could escape this never-ending hell. Once he was at a safe distance, he eyed the scene in front of him. He couldn’t recognize the two villains fighting, but he could tell just by how they looked like that they weren’t simply roughhousing like two siblings. This was a real fight. One of them looked like a fire-themed villain, and it was clear that she was trying to control her powers because, if she lost control (even if for a second), the whole place would be reduced to nothing but ashes. The other villain looked fairly common and human-like, with no distinctive features, but Flug could tell he was just as dangerous as his opponent. He had learned after two years of working for Black Hat not to underestimate powerless villains; they were deceptive, and this was clearly their intention. Once a hero lets their guard down, it’s rather easy to defeat them. As if that wasn’t enough, those two were also alphas. Dr. Flug could smell their aggressiveness, he could feel their pheromones surrounding him, and something inside him died. Maybe it was his hope, but he couldn’t tell. He didn’t have many positive emotions left at that moment.

His heart was still beating at an abnormal pace, and there was nothing he could do to make it slow down. It’s not like he was trying anyway. He was too focused on trying to survive to control the anxiety attack that was forming inside of his core, threatening to burst out of his chest at any moment. Why was this happening? What had he done to deserve this? Well, he’d done a lot of things, like creating multiple weapons of mass destruction, as this was his job. Perhaps karma was finally catching up with him. Flug was finally receiving payback for years of villainy, years of building dangerous machines used to take lives, torture innocent people, spread fear, and support tyranny… He should’ve known better. His family— his _sisters_ would be disappointed. If he ever encountered them and told them what he did for a living, would they ever forgive him? They’d probably never talk to him again. His oldest sister, Rosemary, had once said he was more capable than he imagined. For a long time, Flug refused to believe her, until he was forced to. After he became Black Hat’s scientist, he thought about calling Rosemary to thank her for having always been there for him, but, at the same time, he was afraid of what she’d think of him. He was afraid of being disowned. That, at the time, was his biggest fear.

Oh, how he wished this was his biggest concern at the moment.

He decided that, for his own sake, he should focus on the fight, which was nothing short of brutal.

The male alpha, having no powers or abilities he could use to his advantage, used his own body; he bit, scratched, kicked, and punched. Because of his long, muscular body, those attacks proved themselves to be effective. The female alpha used her fire abilities to burn the other alpha, and she was clearly focusing on both the fight and her own powers, struggling to stay in control. Dr. Flug watched the whole scene in absolute horror. Those two… They were fighting for _him_. They were fighting for the right to claim his as a mate, more specifically. Anyone else would probably be flattered, but he was thoroughly terrified. If he had been an alpha or a beta, then he would’ve felt something else, but, as an omega, the whole situation was something he’d hoped to only see in his nightmares. The doctor didn’t even have a say in the matter. Whoever won the fight would win the right to claim him as a mate, and he didn’t want that. He wasn’t merely a prize to hang on a shelf, or an item to brag about, he was a human being who was capable of making logical decisions about his own life. He didn’t _need_ anyone. He had never needed anyone in the first place. He was _free_. Those two, however, weren’t going to listen to _him_ of all people. They were playing by their own rules.

The crowd of curious villains that had once surrounded Dr. Flug was now focusing on the fight that had broken out suddenly, but they also glanced at him from time to time, asking themselves if he was the cause of everything that was happening now. They seemed to be as horrified as the doctor himself was, especially since they did not predict this turn of events. Some of them were staring at him expectantly, wondering what he’d do in this situation, how he’d react, and Flug knew. He could notice their glares, but there was nothing he could do… right? He glanced at Demencia, who was as petrified as him. She held onto the perfume he’d thrown at her like her life depended on it. The bite mark on her shoulder was still visible, and the doctor winced when he saw it. If she had been an omega, she would have been… No, he didn’t want to think about this. As much as Demencia annoyed him to no end, she was still his sister, and he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, not even if she deserved it. Perhaps this was his fault. He should’ve told her about everything. If she knew how being an omega was a fate worse than death, then perhaps she would’ve listened to him and thought twice about bringing that stupid omega perfume and using it, and they wouldn’t be in this hell of a mess.

Yes, this was his fault.

And he had to redeem himself by fixing what he had caused.

Dr. Flug slowly stood up and took a deep breath. He had to do something. Those two would battle each other to death if it meant they would get something in the end, and this ‘something’ was a male omega. If what Atomus had said about male omegas was correct, then having one as a mate — or even as a possession, although both terms were interchangeable — would be the highest symbol of status. Some ambitious villains were always after this, wishing to be known as the best of the best, although most of them didn’t even come close or make it to the top hundred. Black Hat himself had stated that he did not care about status at all, although this might’ve been because he was the greatest and most powerful villain to ever grace the Earth. He (as well as every well-informed citizen) knew no one could strip the demon of this title. Nobody would dare challenge the great Black Hat or even cross his path if they valued their life. He was the supreme villain, and the rumors about him and his grandiose feats spread so fast that he was known across the globe. Those who did not know about the abomination that wore a top hat were considered odd. If Dr. Flug told everyone in that ballroom that he belonged to Black Hat, and that he was his mate, even if it weren’t true at all, then they would leave him alone, wouldn’t they? Nobody would dare steal something in Black Hat’s possession. It was a death wish. Maybe he should… Wait, what was he thinking? He didn’t need to belong to someone to defend himself.

He didn’t need Black Hat.

He didn’t need an alpha.

He didn’t need _anyone_ at all.

… Well, the others disagreed.

With careful steps, he slowly inched forward and towards the two quarreling villains, and, to no one’s surprise, none of them had acknowledged his presence, which they’d easily deem insignificant anyway. They were too involved in their little brawl to care about their surroundings and the hesitant spectators. While he walked towards the duo, the doctor pondered about his options. They wouldn’t care if he tried to talk them out of it; alphas barely listen when they’re worked up, and they wouldn’t listen to him, an _omega_ , out of all people. Trying to stop them physically was out of question. Dr. Flug was known for being one of the weakest villains when it came to physical force, and he knew he wouldn’t dare touch those two alphas, especially after seeing them fight each other so ferociously. He was quickly running out of options. He couldn’t talk them out of it, nor could he force them apart, so what could he do? _“What are you doing?”_ Flug asked himself, and he hated not knowing the answer to such a simple question. The other guests started whispering again, speculating what he was trying to do and if he would be successful in his attempt. Flug shrunk half his original size. He didn't want to be the center of attention; he just wanted to bury his face in a hole and never come out again. The scientist had been so caught up in his own thoughts and fears that he didn’t see what was happening during the fight. He _should have_ seen it, but he didn’t.

The female alpha, who’d been pinned against the floor with no way to escape, used her own feet to throw the male back (much like the doctor had thrown Cyprian forward before) so she wouldn’t be at a disadvantage, and he ended up landing right in front of Flug, who froze in shock at the abrupt movement. The other villains were watching the fight intensely, wondering what would happen next and who would win the fight, but, at the same time, they were also wondering what the only omega in the room would do. The male alpha growled and stood up in a heartbeat, finding the female’s act unacceptable and humiliating. Dr. Flug, on the other hand, was petrified. He was too close for comfort. He didn’t want to do this. Why did he decide to do this? He had to go back, but his feet wouldn’t move. His body wouldn’t obey him. It was like being alpha commanded all over again. The male had not seen him, and was preparing his next attack, which was clearly a punch. The main point, however, was that _the alpha had not seen him at all_. So, of course, he raised his hand to punch the female alpha right in the guts…

… But he ended up elbowing Flug’s face instead.

This quickly awakened the doctor from his shock stupor, dragging him back to the real world none too gently. He fell. His body ached as it collided against the pristine floor with a barely audible ‘thud’, and he suppressed a groan as pain spread across his face. His brought a hand to his nose, wanting to do something — _anything_ — to stop the pain, but it did not work. He should’ve guessed; it would’ve been as effective as if he’d done nothing at all. Dr. Flug noticed the room, which was alive with whispers seconds before, was now silent (way too silent), but did not dare look up. He was afraid of what he’d see, and he was afraid of the attention he’d gather. Remembering that he was still lying on the floor, stupidly gripping his nose as a (thoroughly ineffective) way to soothe the pain, the doctor slowly withdrew his own hand, already aware that there was nothing else he could do, but not before looking at it. When he did, however, his heart skipped a beat.

His glove was covered in blood.

Flug looked down, and noticed how a few more drops of blood splattered on the floor. This blood… This blood was _his_. The scientist’s brain was incapable of comprehending the situation. He was bleeding. There was blood on his right glove and on the floor. He had been elbowed and he was bleeding. There was blood coming out of him. He was bleeding in front of thousands of alphas. No matter how many times he repeated those facts, he couldn’t bring himself to accept them. His heart was hammering inside his chest, his insides were tingling in nervousness, and mind was a hazy mess. Dr. Flug was unable to think properly. He couldn’t help but think about all of the people surrounding him and seeing him in this moment of weakness when he bravely (and stupidly) came out as an omega just a few minutes before. He wasn’t making eye contact with any of them, but he could almost feel their prying glares behind those lavish masks. He could sense their smirks, their whispers, their giggles… It was a horrifying thought. Flug shivered. He could feel a viscous liquid running down his nose. The metallic smell made him want to retch. He brought his right hand to his nose; it was better to bleed on his gloves than the floor. He snapped out of his half-trance when he heard a scream coming from the middle of the ballroom. “He harmed the omega!” The female alpha, who was now back on her feet and saw this unfortunate accident as an opportunity to gain the upper hand, pointed out. It didn’t take the male long to realize he was in hot water.

“It wasn’t on purpose, you bitch!” He yelled back, not bothering to hide his rage at the accusation, and then turned to Flug, who, in response, recoiled. When the man turned around, however, the doctor noticed he looked a little less angry, a little less like a beast, and he became more… human, as if he’d snapped out of a hellish trance, a trance that the female could not get out of. It sounded like a nightmare. “Are you ok?”

He was far from ok.

Dr. Flug recoiled even more, refusing to break eye contact with the alpha. He was now depending solely on his instincts to leave that place alive and whole, and they told him that man was dangerous. The doctor could, for the first time in years, agree with his instincts. Even if the alpha did not mean to cause him physical harm in any way — the guilt behind that golden mask he wore was pretty clear —, it was obvious that he didn’t know how to control his own strength, and this rang all kinds of alarm bells inside the omega’s head. The alpha, who was now wearing a concerned frown, asked him something, but he couldn’t hear it at all. His mind was blocking all sounds, and the silence ended up being more deafening than the thousands of whispers. Dr. Flug could still feel the blood running down his nose, and was doing everything in his power to prevent it from staining his clothes. Black Hat would not be pleased if he got his suit dirty in any way, which was why he was glad that the floor looked brand new. The thought, however, made Flug freeze for what seemed like the thousandth time that night.

He had completely forgotten about Black Hat.

How could he be so damn stupid? He’d been so caught up in his current problems that he forgot to worry about his future ones. He’d reached the point of no return, and lying was out for question for a multitude of reasons, so what could he do? The only option was to come clean and pray (not necessarily in that order). He was hoping his boss would get jealous and leave, as he was there solely because no one was aware of his employee’s secondary gender. At that moment, Flug just wanted to go home and dive under his sheets, which now sounded much more comfortable than they really were, or even go to his lab in order to finish a few projects he’d written down for later. He just wanted to go home. It’s not like it would be that easy, however, as both he and Demencia depended on Black Hat for transportation, and the latter would get reasonably angry if they left with no previous warning. The doctor himself would be worried if his boss suddenly disappeared, but this was different. That’s what he told himself, at least. This was different.

 _He_ was different.

Dr. Flug had enough of this. He couldn’t hold his nose forever. So, instead of lying on the floor like a pitiful carpet, he stood up and dashed towards the stairs. The multiple voices of the other guests became one as they spoke, but his mind had blocked it all out. He just ran and never looked back. His steps were heavy and hard, but that was the least of his concerns. He needed to stop this nosebleed. He needed a bathroom. The problem was finding one in that labyrinth of hallways, especially now that he didn’t have his inner omega to guide him. Flug quickly switched hands, now pressing his left hand against his nose so his right one could rest, and started walking towards the maze. The darker they got, the more he narrowed his eyes, trying to adjust his sight or maybe unlock a hidden ability that allowed him to see in the dark.

Those hallways seemed longer than they were before, but Flug knew this wasn’t possible and it was his own nervousness acting out. His eyes darted around, scanning every inch of those eerie corridors in hopes of finding a bathroom or anything close enough. “Where is it? Where is it?” He murmured to himself, and stilled. He felt like he was being _followed_. It was a blood-chilling sensation. He was too scared to turn around and see if his fears would be confirmed or not, so he simply walked forward and never looked back. His body tensed when he started hearing footsteps that were most definitely not his, and he felt a new sort of coldness spread through his abdomen, a new sort of fear, but he never stopped walking. Someone was definitely following him. He could no longer ignore this fact. Why didn’t he consider this? Nobody could hear him scream, and someone could easily take advantage of this. Dr. Flug was just hoping they wouldn’t. He’d been too worried about his current blood loss to consider his options. Again, he’d worried about the present and ignored the future. It felt like he’d been walking on that labyrinth for days, but he knew he’d only been roaming around like a headless cockroach for a few minutes. And then, just when he was about to give up and greet whoever had been following him, he felt a hand land on his shoulder, and a voice greeted him in the ominous darkness.

“Are you lost?”

**_.  .  ._ **

Commander Fistfight was floored.

After hours upon hours of making small talk with multiple villains, and even befriending some of the more amicable minions (they were almost always fairly harmless, and often relied on their brains rather than their muscles), he still had no valuable information that could be used as an advantage or even as blackmail. He had found out that villains love to boast about their greatest feats and most glorious battles, and Fistfight dread having to admit that some of those stories were quite enthralling. If they were ever reformed, some of those individuals would make great storytellers and writers. The hero knew, however, that he wasn’t there to make friends or enemies; he was there to father as many information as possible and be impartial to everything, and he had nothing so far.

But then the omega came along.

“I am an omega” was a phrase he never thought he’d hear in his entire life. Omegas were stupidly rare, that was a well-known and acknowledged fact, and males were even rarer. They were _extinct_. But there was a boy in the middle of the ballroom — a boy who’d managed to make an alpha faint of pain; a boy who’d drawn all attention towards himself in mere seconds; a boy who had publicly humiliated a villain more powerful than him and made it look like child’s play; a boy who didn’t look a day after twenty; a boy who looked so fragile that it seemed like he could break under the slightest current of wind —, and he was claiming to be an omega. When the vampire said he was an omega, Commander Fistfight thought it was a tasteless joke, and he eagerly waited for the punchline. It, however, never came. And then he smelled it: the sweetest aroma he’d ever had the pleasure of smelling; the flowery aroma of an unmated omega. He shook. Fistfight had a cousin — one who was quite weird and didn’t seem to have a firm grasp on social norms and average behavior patterns — who used to work around omegas on a haven made especially for them, and, whenever she told stories about her work, and effectively breaking part of her contract by doing so, she would always say one thing.

_“The virginal ones always smell the sweetest.”_

Up to now, he used to believe she always said that to make him uncomfortable (they hadn’t always been on good terms), but now he could see some truth behind her words. “What’s an omega doing here anyway?” Someone from the crowd asked, and the question hung in the air for a few seconds before someone else spoke, but that specific question wouldn’t leave Fistfight’s mind. He wanted to know. That boy looked too fragile to be a villain; he was undoubtedly a minion. The main question was: _whose_ minion was he? He looked around, wondering if any of his colleagues knew who he worked for, if they recognized him, and then his eyes landed on Phantom, and he looked… pitiful…? No, that wasn’t the word. He looked… He seemed _understanding_ , almost as if he’d presented himself. Fistfight shook the thought out of his head. He needed to focus on the new information, something that was finally useful, and concluded that the OHC needed to know about this. They needed to get that omega… that _child_ out of there. Commander Fistfight had to save him from whoever was manipulating such a fragile, innocent mind.

It was for the omega’s own good.

**_.  .  ._ **

“Are you lost?”

Flug spun on his heels so fast that the quick motion made him feel lightheaded for a second. He rapidly recovered and mustered enough courage to lock eyes with whoever — or _whatever_ — was with him, creeping in the shadows. When he did, the doctor relaxed almost immediately. The hallways were so badly-illuminated that they might as well not have any lights on at all, and thus it was hard to recognize anything, even his own hands, but Dr. Flug managed to recognize Eglantine anyway. He had relaxed quickly — way too quickly —, and, in normal circumstances, this would’ve scared him, but, in this one, it didn’t. He didn’t know why, but there was something familiar in Eglantine, something comforting, and he couldn’t help but feel safe around her. Her presence was almost magical, though Flug couldn’t put his finger on it. “Ah, yeah, I’m lost,” he admitted, trying not to sound defeated, remembering the question she’d asked. If she had been someone else, he would’ve lied until he was cornered, but sh was… different, somehow. She seemed trustworthy. He saw Eglantine nod and then look at his nose. He could already predict her next question, and didn’t feel like wasting time. “N-nosebleed…”

“Oh, dear,” she said, looking concerned. “Come with me.” She spun on her heels and began walking forward without waiting for a response. Dr. Flug followed her without thinking twice. For him, it didn’t make any sense. Anyone else would’ve made him run to the hills as if his life depended on it (and it did, partly). He’d learned, after years upon years of watching the prejudice against omegas rise and thrive, to build a wall around himself, and to never trust anyone blindly. Hell, he barely trusted Black Hat when he started working for the demon (although this was understandable), and he still didn’t trust him with his secret, but, with Eglantine, his inner omega felt… protected. Perhaps it was because she was married. A married woman wouldn’t try to put the moves on him, right? Well, he hoped so, at least. Eglantine walked with such confidence, as if she knew those hallways like the palm of her hand. He wouldn’t doubt her. Finally, after seconds of borderline agonizing silence, she stopped in front of a semi-open door and walked in, motioning for Flug to do the same. He did.

The room was, as expected, dark.

Dr. Flug didn’t see Eglantine turn the lights on, and he was forced to close his eyes when they unexpectedly and mercilessly assaulted by the bright lights, as they had gotten used to the dark at that point. When he felt like he could look at things without setting his eyes on fire, he opened then slowly and allowed them to adjust before looking around, analyzing his surroundings in curiosity. The room wasn’t very big in comparison to the ballroom, but there were various things scattered around, including a table and two chairs at the back of the room, near a closed window. He was also fairly sure he saw something move on the ceiling, but there was nothing there when he lifted his head to stare. “Make yourself comfortable,” Eglantine told him as she rummaged through some dust-coated cabinets. “This is going to take a while,” she added, and this made Flug wonder what she was looking for. He walked up to the table and sat on one of the chairs, watching Eglantine’s hurried search. Her lips curled into a pleased smile as she pulled a first aid kit from one of the cabinets and made her way to Flug, who had almost forgotten that he was bleeding. She carelessly dropped the kit on the table and opened it.

“Should I take the gloves off?” Flug asked, lowering his left hand. Both his gloves were now soaking in blood.

“Yeah, unless you like having bloody hands.” She handed him a handkerchief that looked like the one he always kept in his lab coat’s pocket. He took both his gloves off in a hurry, put them on the table, and then grabbed the handkerchief, instantly pressing it against his nose. The bleeding didn’t look like it was going to stop anytime soon. “How did that happen anyway?” Flug stiffened.

“A fight,” he responded. That wasn’t very helpful.

“Really?” Eglantine raised an eyebrow. “You don’t strike me as the fighting type.”

“I’m not.” Flug shifted awkwardly. “I just… got caught up in the middle, I guess.” It sounded like a lie, but it was the closest to the truth he could get. Trying to expand his explanation would only make things worse, so he left it at that. Thankfully, Eglantine seemed to have believed him. She hummed and focused on the first aid kit instead, closing it and putting it under the table instead of putting it back where it came from. She then sat on the remaining chair.

“I know the feeling. I tried to tell Am— uh, Crowfeather that a bunch of alphas in one place was a bad idea.” She sighed and leaned against the wall. “He didn’t listen. He never does.”

“My boss doesn’t listen either,” Flug chuckled.

“Those two have a lot in common,” Eglantine told him. “They’re both ruthless; powerful, but ruthless. I guess it’s the universe’s way of evening things out.” She put her left elbow on the table and used her hand to support her head. “So, what was the fight about this time?” Flug wanted to ask what she meant by ‘this time’, but then it’d sound like he was avoiding the question. He didn’t want to sound like the awkward mess he usually was, even thought that wasn’t a problem in the past. He just wanted to avoid drama, especially after what happened in the ballroom.

“They wanted something.” He tried to be vague. Admitting _he_ was that ‘something’ was out of question. “One of them didn’t see me and ended up elbowing me in the face. I-it was an accident, though.” Eglantine huffed.

“Accident or not, they shouldn’t have done that. You don’t fight during a formal ball. They agreed to be civilized.” She seemed angry, but that was just Flug’s own speculation. Her voice was slow and calm, and her body was relaxed. Nothing about her screamed ‘angry’, so why did he assume she was? “Those things anger me, you know.” If he could, the doctor would have laughed; not because it was funny, but because it was odd. How had he done that, exactly? It was like he could read minds. “Those villains give the rest of us a bad rep,” she commented nonchalantly before standing up and walking towards something that looked like a minibar. “Want something to drink? I have some wine.” She crouched down and grabbed an expensive-looking bottle of wine. Dr. Flug was inclined to accept, as he wanted to forget about that night that never seemed to end, but then he remembered about Black Hat’s first rule: no alcohol. Getting on his boss’s bad side wasn’t generally a good idea.

“I can’t really drink alcohol…”

“Oh, come on, you’re a villain. Breaking one more law isn’t going to kill you.”

“N-no, it’s not about that. Black Hat forbade me.” Eglantine blew a raspberry.

“He’s not your alpha, though. Omegas can make their own rules too.” Flug’s breath hitched. Has she just…? “Your scent is spreading,” she informed him matter-of-factly, closing the door to prevent it from leaving the room and giving their location away. Flug had almost forgotten that he had a scent, as he was used to having his scent blocker on at all times. At the moment, all he could smell was his own blood. “They were fighting for you.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. He lowered his head shamefully. Admitting this was painful. He felt _vulnerable_. “Don’t worry. It’s not your fault.”

“What if it is?” He asked without thinking. Eglantine grabbed two glasses from a drawer nearby, closed the minibar’s door with her foot, and returned to the table. She put one glass on his side, and one on hers. She then proceeded to open the bottle and start pouring the wine on Flug’s glass. The action seemed almost robotic.

“It isn’t,” she suddenly spoke. Flug had almost forgotten about his question.

“But—”

“Flug.” She stopped pouring the wine and set the bottle down, but she’d been gentle this time. “Look at me.” It didn’t sound it an order. It sounded like a request. He hesitantly complied, and his blue irises met her brown ones. He could see a faint glint in her eyes, something he hadn’t seen in a while. “From omega to omega: this isn’t your fault. No one asks to be an omega. You don’t choose what you’re born as, but you do choose who you want to be.” She gave him a sincere smile and then picked the bottle up again to fill her own glass. Flug stood there, trying to process her words, but he could only think about the first four words of her speech.

“ _You’re_ an omega?!”

“Guilty as charged,” she sang, plopping down on her chair.

“B-but you’re not caged, o-or collared, or chained. You can walk around and drink and do what y-you want and… You’re _free_.” Trying to think about an omega with freedom and the ability to do whatever they pleased was like trying to think of a new color; it was impossible. Eglantine’s smile widened as she took a small sip from her glass.

“I am,” she responded. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“W-well, you’re an omega, and… And omegas are… They’re…” Flug took a deep breath to rearrange his thoughts, lowering his gaze in self-consciousness. He couldn’t bring himself to stare at Eglantine anymore, afraid of what he’d see in her eyes. A simple glare was enough to tell someone’s emotions, or even a lack thereof. His eyes fell on the glass of wine in front of him. The liquid remained motionless, and it faintly reminded him of his own blood. He didn’t know whether he should drink it or not. In all honesty, he didn’t know anything anymore. He had doubts. Flug had always let insecurity lead his life; that’s how things had always been, and how they would always be. Fear was the basis of any human’s survival, it was what made someone value their life, and, at that moment, he had — he _wanted_ — to survive. The problem with this was that, alongside his instincts to survive, came the need to accept the reality and adapt accordingly. For the longest time, he refused to believe in his situation. He had always hoped to, one fateful day, wake up and realize that he didn’t have to hide anymore, because omegas were no different from alphas and betas. This would never happen, though. He would never be equal to them. He would always be seen as a zoo animal. He would always be an omega; nothing more, nothing less. “… We’re _things_.” He removed the handkerchief from his nose, which had seemingly stopped bleeding. Instead of putting the cloth down, however, he held onto it.

“We’re not things.” Dr. Flug’s gaze went from the handkerchief to Eglantine. She took another sip from her wine, paused, and then continued. “People see us as things, but that doesn’t mean we have to be what people see us as. So, tell me…” She put the glass down and leaned forward, putting both her elbows on the table and crossing her forearms. “Do you think you’re a _thing_?” ‘Say no,’ his mind begged him. He wanted to say no. He wanted to have pride in who he was, and how far he’d gone, but, every time he looked back, all he could see was his own failures. ‘Say no,’ his mind repeated.

“I don’t know.”

Who was he trying to deceive?

He didn’t know. Hell, maybe he’d never know. “Pity,” Eglantine said. “You’re not a thing to me. You’re brilliant.” Flug lowered his gaze once more. His face was burning, and there was no way he could hide it. Why did he feel like this every time he was complimented? He knew. He was rarely ever praised for his achievements. His father had never cared, always demanding more and more from him, and putting his standards far from his son’s reach; his sisters’ praises were hollow; his friends had never seen him succeed; Demencia never gave a shit to anything that didn’t interest her and 5.0.5 couldn’t speak; Black Hat had never valued his work before, but he did make a point to value his employee’s secondary gender, despite Flug’s efforts to try and prove himself capable of being independent. And that was why he didn’t know how to classify himself. What was he? Who could he believe in? After all, omegas didn’t have the best judgement, or that’s what he’d been told…

“Wait,” he suddenly spoke as Eglantine basically swallowed the rest of her wine down. “About Crowfeather… Does he treat you… _normally_?” He’d hoped she understood the question. He couldn’t imagine being treated normally by Black Hat ever again. He’d always been afraid of his boss — who wouldn’t be? That demon could literally explode a planet just by blinking —, but, after he came out, he could only feel annoyance towards the eldritch.

“I’m not Crowfeather’s omega. I’m his wife. He doesn’t have power over me or vice-versa. We’re equals, and he trusts me to stay out of trouble. And I do… _mostly_ , but I kind of never tell him when I don’t.” She whispered that last part and managed to get a snort out of the doctor. In a twist of events, he found himself kind of enjoying their little conversation. “It’s how relationships work, you know. Or, at least, that’s how they’re supposed to.” Those last two words hit him harder than the whole speech.

“Supposed to, huh…?” Flug whispered bitterly.

“Yup,” she confirmed, and then started carelessly pouring more wine on her glass, not bothering to measure how much she wanted to pour down and instead choosing to do so until her glass was filled to the brim, almost overflowing. The doctor felt somewhat guilty for not drinking out of his own wine glass. He was worried about coming off as ungrateful. “People like having power over other people. It makes them feel less weak, less human.” She put the bottle down and grabbed her glass again. Before drinking from it, however, she glanced at Flug, who was staring at his own glass like it had stabbed his dog, and smirked slyly. “You know, I’m saying all of this philosophical shit like some sort of love guru now, but in ten minutes I’m probably going to be wasted and put most sailors to shame, so don’t be too surprised.” After the warning, she took another sip from her glass. Flug didn’t know if he should laugh, cringe, or say something, so he just kept staring at the wine glass until he gathered enough courage to put the bloody-soaked handkerchief down and reach for it. Should he go against Black Hat’s orders and drink it? He’d never tried alcohol before, and he definitely needed to be sober if he wanted to leave that place without a mate and a bond mark. Maybe a few sips of wine wouldn’t do much. Eglantine had taken a glass and a half and she seemed sober… somewhat. He would just take enough to see what it tasted like and then fake satisfaction so he wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. After deciding that he’d stalled enough, Dr. Flug hesitantly gulped some of the wine down and paused.

“That’s not… bad,” he admitted. At first the flavor was odd, but it only took him a few seconds to get used to it, and, well, he liked it. _Only a few sips,_ he reminded himself. He couldn’t afford getting drunk at the moment… or ever.

“I thought you’d like it,” Eglantine said, swaying her glass in boredom and watching as the liquid inside moved accordingly. She never stopped; it was like she was trying to make the wine vaporize somehow. Flug didn’t really blame her for trying. At that moment, that was everything the two of them had control over. They could not even put their own lives on the list. “We have a lot in common, you know. Two innocent omegas who just want to get away from it all by getting wasted and giving each other relationship advice like shitfaced hippies... This would make a great movie, actually.” The doctor didn’t know if her (very informal) description of their conversation was accurate or not, but it definitely seemed like it. Thinking about it, the similarities between the two of them were… odd, but it could be a mere coincidence. His grip tightened on his glass of wine, and only then did he realize it was there.

“Uh, yeah… It’s a strange coincidence.”

“I wouldn’t really call it a coincidence.” Flug put his glass down and raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” Eglantine chuckled.

“Nothing, really,” she responded vaguely, shrugging; the hollow answer seemed intentional, but Flug had no proof whatsoever. He would forget about her words in a day anyway, so it’s not like it mattered that much. That’s when, after a few seconds of silence, her eyes widened and she straightened her back. Dr. Flug stirred, taken aback by the sudden movement. “Oh, I almost forgot!” Never letting go of her glass of wine (which came as no surprise), she stood up and hastily headed towards the cabinets, rummaging through an old and dusty one and pulling something out of it (she never bothered to close the cabinet, though). At first, the object was hard to identify as she had her back turned to him, but, once she spun on her heels and walked back to the table, he saw it: a letter. He raised a questioning eyebrow at that. No matter how much the doctor searched for anything distinctive, he could find nothing special about it. It was just a plain letter. What was inside of it, though? He wanted to know. “Here you go.” Flug hesitantly extended his hand and took the letter. Eglantine found it strange how he acted like a piece of paper could rip his hand off. “If I were you I’d read it at home, when you’re less drunk and at risk of dying.”

“A-ah, of course,” he murmured, not really bothering to correct her on that last sentence and simply putting the letter down on the table near the handkerchief. He had a bad feeling about this. His mouth felt dry and there was a lump forming in his throat. He took another sip from the wine, hoping it would wash away his sorrows and make his mouth a little less dry, and, for the most part, it did help, but the feeling was still there. He didn’t know why it was there, however, and this was driving him mad. Hell, not knowing things in general drove him mad. As a scientist, he was supposed to know things and learn from them so he would avoid mistakes that could cost him his job and life. Being unaware of things, be they relevant or not, was dangerous, especially when he was both a scientist and an omega. Eglantine ignored his awkward response and sat back on her chair. The two of them stood in absolute silence before she had enough and decided to break the ice.

“Well, what do you want to do now?” Dr. Flug leaned back in his chair.

“I just want to go home.”

“Then go home.”

“I can’t,” he sighed, massaging his temples. Just thinking about this whole situation was already giving him a massive headache. “Black Hat has the car’s keys, and he’d kill me if I tried to leave without him.” It was a shame, really. If Flug had his own car and knew how to drive, he would’ve already been far, far away from that manor. His destination wouldn’t matter. He’d be okay as long as he wasn’t being constantly hit on and treated like a… _thing_. Maybe he should just get used to it…

“Then ask your boss to take you home,” Eglantine suggested nonchalantly. She didn’t seem too eager to put some effort in her answers.

“I wish it was that simple.”

“Oh, it is!” She grinned from ear to ear like a little child on Christmas morning. “They don’t call omegas ‘manipulative’ for shits and giggles, doctor. We can be very… _convincing_ when we want to.” Flug was starting to feel fear as she leaned closer and closer. The cheerful glint that had once been in her eyes was replaced with a malicious one. It was awfully similar to the glint in Demencia’s eyes when she felt like messing around, and he didn’t like that at all. That glint had gotten him in a lot of trouble before, and he knew that, in this situation, it would be no different. “You just have to bring out your _charm_.” That last sentence almost made him laugh out loud. Bring out his charm? That was the best joke he’d heard all night. He was one hundred percent sure he didn’t have a charm, nor would he ever have one. He was clumsy, awkward, nerdy, and unable to maintain a proper conversation with anyone for more than five minutes. Why was Eglantine assuming he was capable of being charming? Before he could respond with something sarcastic, however, she rose from her seat and walked around the table, hoisting the scientist by the arm and pulling him towards the door, not bothering to ask for his opinion on the matter. At least he had managed to get his gloves and the letter before being dragged away. “Come on. Let’s show Black Hat what you have.”

“What…?” What could she possibly mean by ‘show Black Hat what you have’? Heck, he couldn’t even string two sentences together without tripping over his own words at the moment, so how the hell was he supposed to ‘bring out his charm’ and convince his boss to get the three of them out of that place? Even if he was an omega, he wasn’t _that_ alluring, nor would he ever be. “N-no, wait, I can’t…” His words had fallen on deaf ears. The sentence had been nothing more than a frightened whisper. Eglantine, who he knew could no longer be convinced — he could tell due to that specific glint in her eyes, as he’d seen it in Demencia as well and the hybrid was just as adamant —, stopped dead on her tracks and sniffed the air. Flug tensed. He had started releasing pheromones. Could she feel them? It was very likely, and he hated it. Nobody but him should know how he felt, but other alphas were capable of knowing as well. It felt so intrusive, but there was nothing he could do about it.

“We have to do something about your scent, though.” She let go of his arm and, for the third time that night, walked up to one of the cabinets and grabbed a small, blue-colored bottle; she didn’t hesitate, as the cabinet was full of those. One more or one less wouldn’t make a huge difference. The doctor then realized that he had some time and that he had to do something about the things he was holding. He took this as an opportunity to put his gloves on his pants’ back pockets and place the letter inside his tuxedo’s jacket. His timing had been perfect. As soon as he was done, Eglantine spun on her heels and proceeded to toss the bottle she’d gotten to him with no previous warning. “You should probably use that.” Dr. Flug had managed to catch the bottle (thankfully) and flipped it over to look at the cover, wondering what it was. To his surprise, it turned out to be a scent blocker, but this one was different from the ones he usually bought. It was smaller, rounder, and the cover was blue instead of red. “Don’t worry about canceling it out either. This one’s for omegas. It’s stronger.”

“Oh…” Flug had always bought scent blockers meant for alphas. He feared that buying the ones meant for omegas would raise suspicion, and he didn’t need one more problem to add to his enormous list. Hopefully this scent blocker would be more effective both in hiding his scent and in not fading when he needed it the most. His grip around the bottle tightened. _You don’t deserve this_ , a small voice in the back of his head whispered tauntingly, but he quickly shook it off and gave Eglantine a small but genuine smile. “Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it. Now let’s go, shall we?” Dr. Flug paused, considering the idea for a second, as he had to think before acting, especially when he had a choice. Was he really going to do this? Well, if he explained the situation to Black Hat, then maybe he’d understand, right? Besides, his boss wasn’t exactly the most rational person when it came to his employee’s secondary gender. He would kill anyone without hesitating if they dared do anything drastic or even minimal like staring. Perhaps convincing the eldritch that they needed to go home wouldn’t be so hard, after all. But, of course, every positive had to have a negative in order to even things out and keep the balance of the universe so it wouldn’t implode and kill everyone (which, at the moment, didn’t seem like a bad idea). Black Hat wouldn’t be very happy to find out that half of the villain world now knows that his most valuable employee is an unmated male omega. It would certainly make things harder, especially to the business. People were more likely to become more interested in the omega behind the screen rather than the product being sold, and he would most certainly lose all credibility he had. Sighing, Flug applied the scent blocker and immediately hissed. His scent glands burned, and they were being covered by his clothes; it was like someone had pressed two cigarette filters on them. Eglantine was right: this one _was_ stronger. “Wow, you okay there?”

“Yeah, this was just…” He pressed his hand against one of his shoulders. It did nothing to stop the pain. “… Unexpected…”

“Yeah, it took me some time to get used to it,” Eglantine told him, ready to march to where her husband and his acquaintance were, but noticed how the scientist wasn’t moving. “Do you need a moment or…?”

“Huh? Oh, no, no, I’m fine.” Dr. Flug could already feel the pain slowly subsiding and becoming more bearable. It would be completely gone in a few minutes. “We can go now.” She nodded at the confirmation and opened the door, looking both ways before leaving the room and motioning for Flug to follow. Despite his apprehension, he did. After that, they could only hear their own footsteps. Their walk was silent. The pain in his scent glands was gone, and he was glad that he could no longer smell himself or feel his pheromones floating freely in the air, but that didn’t do much to lessen his nervousness. How would Black Hat react? What would he do? Would he be locked away forever with no chance of escape? Flug shook at the thought. It was clear that he didn’t that to happen once again. He didn’t want to run away again and risk bumping into another psycho who would then invade his room and cause more problems. God, he was having the war flashbacks. It was a miracle he hadn’t acquired PSTD after everything he’s gone through. He didn’t need more problems. At least getting lost wouldn’t be one of them. Eglantine seemed to know where she was going. Has she been there before? He couldn’t help but wonder. She walked with confidence and never hesitated on turning around a corner. It was very unlikely that this was the first time she’d wandered through those corridors.

He’d been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he almost didn’t see Eglantine stop, and almost bumped into the door ahead of him, almost giving himself a new bruise that he’d have to hide from his boss. _Almost_. “Well, we’re here,” she announced. Flug found it unnecessary, as he could clearly see that they had arrived. So there they were, standing in front of a locked door, wondering what would happen next. He found it predictable. What he did not found predictable was the way Eglantine took a step back and then lunged forward, literally kicking the door open and barging in like she was the queen of England. “Lighten up, fuckers, I have arrived!” She was met with absolute silence. Flug was sure Black Hat was going to behead her without hesitating, but he didn’t. He just stared, and no one could read his emotions. Amadeus, after getting over the initial shock, looked annoyed. The doctor just wanted to shrink until he disappeared off the face of the earth completely.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been drinking,” he complained. Eglantine waltzed up to him and leaned against the nearest wall. After receiving no response other than a shrug (which he knew was supposed to annoy him), he continued, “I told you not to do that.”

“Telling me not to do something only makes me want to do it more, Amy,” she replied. “Reverse logic, my dear.” Amadeus rolled his eyes. She was definitely drunk, even if ever so slightly. He knew a drunk Eglantine when he saw one.

“You’ll always insist on behaving like a child, won’t you?”

“Aww, you know me well!” Eglantine’s gaze shifted from her husband to Dr. Flug, and she frowned upon seeing that he was still standing by the entrance of the room. “Oi, come on in. We don’t bite… much.” That did nothing to soothe the poor scientist. It took him a great amount of willpower to get his feet to move. While he walked towards his inevitable doom, closing the door behind him slowly in an attempt to buy himself some time, he tried to think about some excuse or maybe even a speech, but he had nothing. No matter what he told his boss, all of those villains would still be there, waiting for him to return. Once again, he saw something on the ceiling move, but he didn’t bother trying to look at it this time. He had more urgent matters to attend to. When he snapped out of his line of thought, he found himself face-to-face with Black Hat. The eldritch’s presence acted like a very effective vacuum cleaner; Flug’s mind blanked instantly. Eighteen years of knowledge went down the drain in two seconds.

“S-sir.”

“Doctor.”

He hadn’t died yet. Good. Very good…

… Now what?

“I… uh…” _Quick, think of something!_ His mind pleaded, but he couldn’t. Everything was spinning and his throat was tightening and his feet were aching. Flug could feel his boss’s scent surrounding him. It was thick and suffocating. He wasn’t releasing any pheromones, which meant he was neutral, which was good. He wasn’t angry yet. The doctor still had a chance. He couldn’t mess it up. "You smell nice." If he could, the doctor would've slapped himself there and then. Out of all the things he could've blurted out in his haze of nervousness, all of the possible combinations that could've been done with 26 letters, he chose to say _this_. He was an idiot. No— his _inner omega_ was an idiot. But his inner omega was still a part of him, so he was an idiot and a half. He'd barely seen Black Hat moving towards his direction.

"And you smell like alcohol." Flug's stomach dropped. He had fucked up royally. Black Hat took another step forward, and, out of instinct, his employee took a step back. None of them exchanged words after that, and the silence was more agonizing than if the demon has started lashing out on him. It was like being in the ballroom again. The tension was almost palpable. And, during the wave of uncomfortable silence, Eglantine scoffed, crossing her arms.

“Give the kid a break. He just got punched in the face.”

“Elbowed,” Flug corrected, realizing he wasn’t really helping his case. He could feel his boss’s pheromones changing. This couldn’t be good. “B-but I’m fine now, I swear!” He wasn’t fine — when had he ever been? —, but Black Hat didn’t need to know that. A killing spree wouldn’t be good for their business and the eldritch’s public image. Speaking of the devil, his boss looked… less than amused. No, he looked the exact opposite of amused. He looked furious. “Sir…?” Dr. Flug thought that maybe, just maybe, he could convince his employer to calm down and behave less like a caged animal on steroids. He’d done it before (twice). And yet, no matter how much he tried to speak, his vocal chords failed him. What could he even say? Eglantine spoke the truth (somewhat), and lying wouldn’t get him very far at this point. He had to try and awaken his boss’s rational side. It was his only option. “Si—”

“Where are your gloves?” His voice was calculated and deep, almost animalistic, but it looked like he was putting some effort into controlling himself. The worst part was that no one knew how long it would take — or _what_ would take — for him to snap. Flug’s response, which had been a meek and rushed ‘in my pants’, was barely audible, but the eldritch had heard, and he was clearly displeased. It was understandable, however. Most people would be concerned if their loved ones (or the people they wanted to have sex with) got hurt and would try to get answers out of them. The situation was even less fun when Dr. Flug was the one being interrogated. “Give them to me.” Oh no. This was out of question. If Black Hat saw his bloody gloves he would raise a hell unlike any other, something unimaginably worse than death.

“U-um, can’t we just—”

“It wasn’t a fucking request, Flug,” Black Hat growled out. He was trying to keep his current appearance, preventing himself from becoming a mess of teeth, eyes, claws, and tentacles. “Give. Me. The. Gloves.”  His inner omega told him to obey, but his mind told him to run. For the first time ever, his inner omega was the most rational one between the two of them. Even if he tried to run, he wouldn’t get very far. Defeated and out of choices, Flug grabbed the gloves from his back pocket and handed them to his boss, avoiding eye contact. The gloves had been folded in a way that didn’t show any blood at first, which allowed the doctor to breathe for a millisecond before Black Hat started unfolding them. He held his breath when his blood came into view; he didn’t want to smell it again. Simply seeing it was making him sick.

When Black Hat saw the blood, however, things changed. The temperature of the room dropped; the lights flickered; gray clouds filled the previously clear sky; someone somewhere died horribly. Flug was expecting horrifying howls and screeches, but they never came. Instead, his boss asked a single question.

“ **W͟ ̷͟ ̨ ̶H̵̸̢ ̸̡ ̴ ͏̨ ͝ ̛͜O̵̢͟?** ”

And yet, a three-letter word managed to scare Dr. Flug more than all of Black Hat’s screams mashed together in an hour-long compilation video. He was apprehensive. His boss wasn’t exactly the most forgiving person out there, or the most organized, and he’d hate to ruin the party for the villains who had nothing to do with the fight between those two alphas. But, on the other hand, he didn’t want his boss to lash out on him either. It was a dilemma: tell the truth or lie. Whichever his choice was, someone was going to die. They had hurt Black Hat’s omega, and the alpha wouldn’t let them go unpunished for that.

When faced with a hurt mate, an alpha almost never acts rationally. Well, who does, really? They feel guilty and powerless. Someone they deeply cherished had been harmed and they couldn’t stop it. Most of them simply accepted the truth, learn from it, and move on, but others, like Black Hat, will hunt the offender down and make them suffer.

When his eyes landed on those gloves, which had been bathed in his omega’s blood — he _knew_ it was Flug’s blood —, he could feel nothing but pure rage. This type of rage, however, was different from his casual rage, which could be better described as an “annoyed rage”. The rage he was currently feeling was the epitome of rages, something much stronger than anything he’d ever felt. He could feel it running through his body; from the tip of his shoes to the brim of his hat. It was like a shiver, but with monstrous side-effects. Black Hat could feel his body changing. He could feel every inch of it: his bones moving, his skin stretching, his veins dilating, his heart pulsating madly, his tentacles crawling out of his back… He could go on forever. It was an addictive feeling, especially for a villain. He felt menacing, he felt _powerful_. All he needed was a name. His omega had to tell him. He _had to_. So why wouldn’t he tell him? Black Hat could protect him, keep him away from danger. Why didn’t his omega want that? “I, uh…” Flug stuttered, trying to find his words. Seeing his boss transform into something indescribable wasn’t helping much. He could feel Black Hat’s pheromones in the air, and he could feel his inner alpha taking over. So far, both Amadeus and Eglantine remained silent. Despite being (slightly) drunk, Eglantine knew when to shut up, and Amadeus had known Black Hat long enough to know what was going to happen next. Dr. Flug understood their reasons, but he still couldn’t help but feel betrayed, especially since Eglantine was the one to put him in this mess by telling his boss the truth in the first place. “I didn’t really know them… or remember what they looked like…” It was a shitty lie and he knew it. Everyone knew it.

“ **T̛E̡L͏̴͢L̷̨̛ ̶̧M̴E.** ”

“I don’t know!” Flug blurted out. He was tired of being pushed around. “Yelling at me won’t make me remember!” He was expecting Black Hat to tear him apart for even daring to yell at him, but the demon did nothing. He just… stared, like the concept of his omega not being willing to confide this type of information to him was too foreign for him to understand. And, to a certain extent, it was. His omega was lying to him, but why? Didn’t his omega trust him? Was he not strong enough to protect him? “S-sir…” Why…? “Sir…!” Why was he letting his inner alpha control him like this? “Black Hat, y-you…!” His inner alpha had never acted out like this. It had never cared for an omega. It had never cared for anyone. Then why did it care for Flug Slys? “B-Black Hat, sir, you n-need to calm down, o-or…” What made Flug so special? What made him _different_? “… Alpha…?”

 _Snap_.

Black Hat hadn’t realized his body was changing. The more he thought about his inner’s alpha attraction towards his omega scientist, the more his body distorted into something most people thought they’d only see in their nightmares. He had creeped everyone in the room out and embarrassed himself by proving he had no self-control whatsoever. How could he, Black Hat, the supreme villain (a fact acknowledged worldwide), have lost control so easily? He was supposed to dominate his Inner, not the other way around! He was ready to scold Dr. Flug, to tell him that _he_ was the boss and he was the employee, and therefore he had to tell what he wanted to know whether he wanted to do so or not, but was interrupted by three sharp knocks on the door. “Um, come in!” Amadeus hesitantly shouted. Who could it be at a time like this? The door was slowly opened to reveal a chef (presumably the chef de cuisine).

“Mr. Crowfeather, the meals are ready,” he informed with a bow. Amadeus nodded.

“Thank you, Cairo. We’ll be ready in ten minutes. Tell the waiters to be ready until then.” The chef, Cairo, nodded back.

“As you wish.” He closed the door and left. Eglantine was the first one to break the silence as she stared at Black Hat with no fear of the consequences.

“You have to chill,” she said nonchalantly. Flug had completely forgotten that she drank a glass and a half of wine a few minutes before, and now she had a death wish. “This is supposed to be, like, a reunion or something. Like, “oh, hey, we’re all villains here, let’s get wasted and talk about random shit”. It’s not a “let’s pick fights and then make out in the corner” type of party, so let’s just chill, okay?” He wished it was that simple; his life would be much easier. Quite unfortunately, not everyone was keen on following the guidelines. Eglantine had the right idea in mind, but it would be impossible to apply it if their fellow villains were unwilling to cooperate, and, now that the cat was out of the bag, their cooperation could be thrown out of the window.

“Understood,” Black Hat replied. _Wait, what?_

“Good.” A smile crossed her face as she walked up to the door like she hadn’t just scolded an interdimensional abomination for behaving like a toddler. As her hand lied on the doorknob, she turned to the rest of them and raised an eyebrow upon seeing that they haven’t moved. “Are we going to go or…?”

“Oh, right!” Amadeus cleared his throat, trying to pretend he wasn’t slowly losing his sanity. “Well, we should get going.” Everyone could agree on that. Flug wanted to get out of that room more than anyone else. Black Hat’s pheromones were still in the air, refusing to go away, making his inner omega jittery, and his scent was a constant reminder of what he’d stupidly blurted out a few minutes ago. By leaving that closed space he’d be able to breathe fresh air and maybe forget that his boss almost went ‘genocide mode’ because of a careless mistake on his part. Eglantine turned the knob and left without waiting for the others. “Hey, wait up. I don’t want you to slip and break your neck.” Dr. Flug could practically feel her rolling her eyes, even if she wasn’t into view.

“You worry way too much, dear!” Amadeus sighed and left the room shortly after, probably to chase after her. The doctor felt his breath catch. He was now alone with Black Hat.

“U-um, we should probably follow them if we don’t want to get lost,” he suggested. It was an excuse to leave as soon as possible and so that he wouldn’t be alone with his boss, sure, but there was some truth to his words. Without Eglantine or his inner omega to guide him, he would still be trying to find his way through that maze, and possibly be in the clutches of Cyprian and his siblings. God, what would’ve happened if he hadn’t snapped out of the alpha command? Flug spun on his heels when Black Hat remained unresponsive, and, as soon as he did that, the alpha spoke.

“You’re really not telling me, are you?” He didn’t sound angry. He just sounded… _betrayed_. No one had ever seen him like this before, and the doctor didn’t know what to think. It was like both the eldritch and his inner alpha had fused in one, still maintaining their main traits.

“I-I’m sorry…” Flug lowered his head. The apology was enough of an answer for Black Hat.

“I’ll let it slide this time, doctor. But the next time you blatantly lie to me in my face, I’ll rip your tongue out and ensure you’ll never lie to me again.” He snapped his fingers, and the gloves disappeared. Despite being scared for his tongue and life, he suppressed a smile, trying to keep a poker face. Seeing his boss doing back to being as threatening and imposing as he’d ever been was a huge relief. It meant that he had his inner alpha under control, and, to him, that was all that mattered. As long as his boss wasn’t horribly maiming someone and generally being a bother for the guests that had done nothing wrong and were just trying to have a good time, everything would be fine, or so he hoped. Dr. Flug was about to answer the threat with a ‘yes, sir’ when Black Hat started heading towards the door without waiting for his employee’s response, assuming he had understood. And he had. There was no need for a confirmation. “Are you coming or are you just going to stand there like a fucking idiot?” The doctor blinked and then realized he still hadn’t moved from where he stood.

“A-ah, sorry, sir!” Black Hat huffed as he stepped out of the room, and his scientist followed shortly after. Amadeus and Eglantine were still there, surprisingly, waiting for them. They hadn’t taken very long, thankfully. Nonetheless, Flug felt guilty for making them wait. His boss didn’t seem to care about that. Once they were all set, the newly-formed quartet walked forward, with Eglantine leading the way. No one spoke in the meantime, and the only sound they could hear was the sound of the bottom of their shoes being pressed against the carpeted floor.

Dr. Flug bit his lip. When were they going to go home? He was so tired, both physically and mentally. After his two near-death experiences, he just wanted to hit the hay and erase all of his memories about that disastrous night. Perhaps he could create a memory eraser? That sounded like a plan, and it’d be highly successful in sales; he could even keep the beta project if he was lucky (although good luck wasn’t exactly his specialty). If he did create a memory eraser, though, he’d have to keep quiet, as he didn’t want Demencia to sneak in and accidentally erase her own memories in the process. She had caused enough trouble already. But… he couldn’t really blame her. Despite being older than his grandmother, Demencia still had the mind and body of a teenager, and teenagers weren’t exactly famous for their critical thinking and ability to plan ahead. She just wanted to be attractive to alphas, and smelling like an unmated omega was certainly an effective way to get their attention. The problem was that she didn’t know what omegas were until recently, and Flug had failed to tell her how being one was not something people were up to. He had also not bothered trying to get the perfume from her or even check to see if she had brought it along. He had failed miserably in every single way possible.

This was _his_ fault.

“Whoa, what the hell’s happening here?” Eglantine asked as she watched the ballroom from above, leaning against the wooden banister. Flug’s heart skipped a beat. He forgot about the alphas; he forgot about Demencia; he forgot about the man who had elbowed him and the other alpha he was fighting against; he forgot that they all knew what he was, despite not knowing _who_ he was. How could he forget? _How_? He couldn’t afford making mistakes like this, especially now! Black Hat would… He… Oh no. Flug had never told Black Hat that they knew. His boss was assuming that they were as oblivious as the rest of the world, but _they knew_. Without thinking, he sprinted forward and stopped near Eglantine, trying his best to stay out of sight. His gaze fell on the ballroom, and then he understood her confusion. The two alphas that had been fighting over him before were still doing exactly that. The difference was that this fight was ten times more violent than it had been before. Both of them were covered in bruises, and the male had multiple burns of various degrees scattered around his body. He didn’t care about them, however. He only cared about one person, but she was nowhere to be seen. _Goddammit, Demencia! Why are you always around when I don’t want you but suddenly disappear when I need you?_ Flug thought bitterly. He would probably never know. Demencia was a species whose mind had to be studied.

He was forced back to the real world when someone from the crowd pointed at him and yelled, “Look! It’s the omega!”

And then everything stopped.

And then all eyes were on him.

And then _Black Hat’s_ eyes were on him.

And he wanted to die.

Before anyone else could speak or even gasp in shock, Amadeus cleared his throat and spoke as he slowly walked down the stairs, “Ladies, gentlemen, villains from all around the world, may I know what’s happening here?” Despite the gravity of the situation, he never lost his composure. He walked slowly and confidently, hands behind his back, and wore a skeptical glare that could be seen even behind his mask. All villains eyed each other, wondering who’d be the one to volunteer to explain their predicament. Some of them were still glaring at Dr. Flug, who would’ve tried to hide if he wasn’t frozen in shock and fear. Amadeus had reached the bottom of the stairs, and no explanation had been given yet. “I’ll ask one more time: what’s happening here? Trust me, I can summon the murder and see how long you last before you spill your guts out.” That last sentence had a double meaning, and everyone knew. That’s when the whispers started. Amadeus’ patience was running thin. Flug eyed Black Hat out of the corner of his eye. His boss remained as calm as the host, if not calmer, but the look in his eye betrayed him: he was livid. Finally, after a whole minute of silence, one brave soul dared step forward.

“I… Well…” Flug recognized him. He was the one who had asked him if he was an omega before he came out. “The boy with white hair… He confessed he was an omega, so those two—” he pointed to the male and female alphas who had been trying to kill each other not long ago (although they were now quiet like the rest of the crowd), “—started fighting over him and stuff, and then he got hurt and, um, ran away, so they started arguing and began fighting again.” He took a deep breath. “And, uh, that’s it, I guess…” It wasn’t the perfect explanation, but everyone knew it was the truth. Amadeus narrowed his eyes and hummed as he marched towards the middle of the ballroom. No one dared get in his way. Even if he wasn’t as powerful and intimidating as Black Hat — who was upstairs, watching over them like a hungry hawk —, Amadeus’ villain self, Crowfeather, was still pretty powerful.

“I want everyone to listen to what I’ll say,” he demanded. “We’re here to be civilized and polite to each other, and I want it to be that way. So, the next time a fight breaks out, no matter the reason, I’ll call the murder. _No mercy_.”

“But the omega—”

“It doesn’t matter.” Amadeus turned to the villain who had protested. He shamefully tried to mingle with the crowd. “He’s still a villain like the rest of you. Treat him as such.” Flug didn’t believe in what he was hearing. Was Amadeus defending him? Why? It didn’t really matter, did it? At least someone cared, or so it seemed. Perhaps he was just trying to prevent more discussions from arising, which would eventually lead to chaos, but still, he was happy. His happiness, like always, didn’t last long, however, because someone from the crowd started cackling like a hyena.

“That’s _bullshit_! Omegas can’t be villains!” Everyone turned to the person who had said that. Their reactions varied from support to shock. Amadeus raised an eyebrow and nothing else.

“And who are _you_ to say what they can or can’t be?” There was no response. “I thought so. Now let’s move to the dining room. Our meals are ready. Follow me.” He started walking up the stairs before anyone could say anything. He knew they’d end up following him anyways, as he was the only one (besides his wife) who knew where the dining room was. The whispers never died— quite the opposite, they were as alive as ever. Flug couldn’t shake off the feeling of being watched, and seeing so many alphas heading towards his direction wasn’t very helpful. He could feel Black Hat’s aggressive alpha pheromones returning, and it wouldn’t take long until the others felt it as well. Eglantine could feel them already, and she was giving him a look that said ‘you have to do something or he’ll kill everyone’. Flug _knew_ he had to do something, but what? His grip on the banister tightened. His nails were hurting from scratching at the banister with too much force. That’s when he saw a neon-colored blur out of the corner of his eye, and his heart leapt to his throat. Was that Dem—

“Flug!” Demencia yelled as she dashed towards him from where he had come from. Yes, it was Demencia. It was a matter of seconds before he was tackled into a suffocating hug. The impact almost made him fall off the second floor and on the ballroom. He didn’t know if he’d survive such a fall, really, but he didn’t have time to worry about that. He was glad Demencia was okay. She was gripping him like he could vanish if she let go of him, but he couldn’t really protest, and trying to pry her away from him wouldn’t do much anyways, especially since he was naturally weaker than her and pretty much anyone else in that room.

“Hi, Dem,” he greeted awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. He did notice that she didn’t smell like an omega anymore. Instead, she smelled like vodka, even if faintly. Had she been drinking? No, that couldn’t be it. She would still have a scent if she had drunk anything. And, even if she had been drinking, he wouldn’t blame her; he’d done the same, and being hypocritical, especially now, wasn’t his cup of tea. That’s when he saw someone come from the same place Demencia had come out of. It was Atomus. Once his eyes lied on Flug, he visibly relaxed and quickened his pace. At that point, the doctor didn’t know anything anymore. Why had they disappeared? And why were they coming from where he, Black Hat, Amadeus, and Eglantine came from? How did he not see them? Well, it did take them a while to appear, so the last question would be considered answered.

“Thank goodness,” Atomus said when he reached them. “We’ve been looking all over for you. I thought the girl was going to die.”

“O-oh…” Dr. Flug swallowed a lump in his throat. “Sorry, I-I didn’t want to worry anyone…” Speaking was hard, as Demencia was still hugging him. He was pretty sure he could kiss his blood circulation goodbye. Atomus gave him a small smile, but he still felt the need to justify himself or at least explain where he’d been. “I was jus—”

“ ** _Get away from him._** ”

Everyone turned to Black Hat. He didn’t look like he was playing around, and was visibly struggling to maintain his current appearance, just like he’d almost lost control a few minutes before. Flug’s heart skipped a beat. This couldn’t be happening; not here, not now. Thankfully, no one seemed to be up for a conflict at that point, so Atomus took a few steps back. Demencia stopped hugging her brother but did not leave his side. Flug, out of options, gave his boss a pleading stare, hoping he would try and take control over his inner alpha again. This time it was different, though. There were too many alphas — too many _threats_ —, and predicting what would happen next was almost impossible, even for someone as grand as Black Hat. Finally, after a few seconds of pure agony, he spoke. “ **Doctor Flug, Demencia,** ” he called. The two of them stiffened as their names were practically growled out. “ **Come with me.** ” He started to slowly walk towards the maze of corridors again, probably so he and his employees would have more privacy. Dr. Flug and Demencia exchanged worried glances. This could not end well, but it would end up worse if they refused to obey their boss, so they followed him. Amadeus raised an eyebrow, but kept leading the crowd of villains towards the dining room. He trusted Black Hat to know where it was, and, if he didn’t, he could tell a servant to go fetch him. But perhaps he should send the least competent servant, just in case the eldritch was in a bad mood.

**_.  .  ._ **

Flug was nervous.

Well, this was an understatement. He was very close to dying. His hands were sweating, his heart was hammering inside of his ribcage, his throat was dry, his clothes felt tight around his body, his body was tense, and his inner omega was fully awake and ready for anything. Demencia wasn’t doing much better than him, honestly. He’d never seen her so stressed and apprehensive before, nor did he ever think he would see her like this. She’d always been one to never regret anything she did, but now… Currently, Black Hat had his back turned to them, and it was impossible to know his emotions; his pheromones weren’t showing anything either. He seemed to have regained control, especially since all of those alphas were no longer within view. That didn’t mean they were not in trouble, however. They were, and they knew it. Denying it at this point was useless. After a few seconds of agonizing silence, Black Hat spun on his heels and eyed his employees, who, in return, flinched. Even Demencia, who was usually a fearless mass of muscles and Black Hat’s self-proclaimed number one fangirl, was scared. No one had ever seen this side of the eldritch before. They didn’t know how to describe it, but they knew it was different from his usual anger.

“ **Now,** ” he started, still using his demonic voice, probably to intimidate them even more. “ **I want an explanation, and I want it _now_.** ” For a moment, everything was silent. Dr. Flug was sure his heart had stopped beating. There was no way he could lie at this point. The truth was too blatant, and he liked his tongue too much. What could he do? Should he try and omit a few less-than-appropriate parts? No, this wouldn’t end well for either of them. His line of thought was interrupted when he heard Demencia take a deep breath before she started speaking. One of them had to talk eventually, and she was willing to bite the bullet and go for it. She had to. After everything she’d put her poor brother through, there was no way she’d let him take the blame for what she had done. In any other situation she would have let him do the talking, and maybe even take the blame — as it was too much fun to watch him struggle and being yelled at —, but not now.

“Well, Blackie, it was—”

“— _my_ fault,” Flug interrupted without hesitating, and suddenly all eyes were on him. His posture murmured ‘fear’, but his eyes screamed ‘determination’. Demencia faltered, finding herself unable to continue or cut him off. What was he doing?

“This is my fault.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Flug
> 
> What will happen next chapter? I mean, I know because I'm the author, but I'm curious to know what you guys think~ and I know I'm cruel to end it here, but what can I say, turturing you guys is so much fun :P I hope this chapter was good enough, especially because of how much you waited for it. I wish I could've updated faster but I'm having to study a lot, besides the fact that I'm starting a diet and I'm feeling much weaker than I've ever felt. And ya, BH hasn't killed anyone yet. Yet. I have a lot planned~ Also cheers for the Dem/Flug sibling bonding somewhat :D Amadeus and Eglantine are a power couple lmao they ain't taking shit from anyone. Eglantine is a fearless bitch I love her
> 
> Someone give Flug a hug  
> he needs it


	12. Eccedentesiast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Demencia realizes being an omega was not at all like she thought.
> 
> And that is not ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS :D HERE'S MY PRESENT FOR Y'ALL
> 
> I decided to finish this chapter today because I suddenly had a creativity rush, so here you go! I tried my bestest (I'm so goddamn tired ;w;) with this chapter, and I hope you guys like it. I gotta thank my spouse Kayle for the ideas. Kayle, I love u babe <3 and thank you all for waiting patiently for this chapter! I hope you guys like it as much as I do. I hate to say this chapter isn't as long as the others (I've only reached 11.053 words this time), but that's because it's mostly dialogue.
> 
> I also wanted to thank you guys SO MUCH for everything. 1150 kudos? 106 bookmarks? 13901 views? 550 comments? You guys... You guys are just the best. I love y'all and those numbers give me inspiration to continue writing this story. I'm practically declaring myself here. Ah, the spirit of Christmas.

Blaming.

Blaming is relatively easy. All you have to do is point fingers and sound convincing enough. The only hard part is that you have to be careful unless you want to be caught in a web of lies, but this was also not difficult to cover, especially for professional liars. He had seen it happen before. His father, Atticus Mulligan, was a man of secrets who wouldn’t admit defeat, and thus would more often than not blame his employees for his own mistakes. Everyone knew he was a less-than-ideal role model. Flug himself knew he didn’t want to be like his father. His actions sometimes led him to wonder if that man even had a heart. At the tender age of seven, he figured he’d been fathered by a giant toddler. Still, he kept quiet and obeyed every order he’d been given. Going against Atticus and the whip he constantly carried was a bad idea. After he presented, his father started blaming all of his flaws on his secondary gender. Some of his typical phrases still echo in his head as he lies awake at night. For example, one day he’d broken a vase because he’d slipped on the freshly-waxed floor — thankfully the vase had been a cheap present from his grandmother, so his father wasn’t worried about the monetary loss, and he wasn’t one to become fond of presents with sentimental value —, and, when Atticus found out about it, he narrowed his eyes and bitterly commented about how ‘omegas have no balance whatsoever’. It was obvious that his father had a grudge against his secondary gender.

Day by day, Flug found himself believing in those lies. He thought he was stupider, weaker, less important… He thought he was _inferior_. As he grew up, things changed. His father’s ideas, which he thought would be forever implanted in his head, withered. Flug— no, _Thomasin_ changed. He became prouder of himself, he stopped hiding behind the walls he’d put up, he spoke up, he became someone trustworthy, and he pushed himself beyond everyone’s expectations. And yet, one small thing didn’t change: he never stopped blaming _himself_ , and now was no different.

“This is my fault.”

Was he lying, though? He had never told Demencia about how society saw omegas, which led her to believe the stigma wasn’t that bad, which led her to use the perfume, which forced Flug to save her from Cyprian by punching him in the face and accidentally revealing the secret he’d fought so hard to keep, and this led to his eventual reveal in the middle of the ballroom, complete with an elbow to his face. To put it simply, he had fucked everything up that night and there was no denying or turning back. All he had to do now was take whatever punished Black Hat deemed fit. Speaking of the devil, his boss was way too quiet for comfort. The eldritch eyed him skeptically, and then turned to stare at Demencia, who was staring at her brother with wide eyes. Her mouth opened and shut periodically. She wanted to say something — _anything at all_ —, but _what_? It’s not like Black Hat would believe _her_ , the person who has been constantly pestering him over those past few years, over Dr. Flug, his prized employee, that’s for sure. And, with all of the mayhem she caused at that ball, her punishment would be way harsher than the doctor’s. Still, Demencia was willing to take it. In other circumstances, she wouldn’t have even thought about being honest, but this was different. She didn’t know how to explain it, but it was _different_. She had to think of something, and fast.

Her time was running out.

Black Hat took a step forward. Flug could feel the alpha’s stare burning a hole through his soul, and, this time, he didn’t care. The only thing that scared him was that his boss displayed no emotions at all at the moment, and thus it was impossible to predict what would happen next. Not knowing something as simple as what his boss was feeling was unnerving, especially in a situation as delicate as this one. “ ** _Liar,_** ” the eldritch accused. There was no emotion in his voice whatsoever, and his pheromones were the only indication that he was not content. Dr. Flug wanted to explain himself, but he had to think of an answer first. Simply going at it and hoping to find the rest of his sentence halfway through had rarely ever worked for him, and, with his anxiety acting up, it was unlikely that he’d be able to string two sentences together and form something coherent. The demon in front of him grinned slightly. “ **This is cute. You were never a good liar, doctor. Why do you think you will magically gain this ability now?** ”

In a way, Black Hat was right. When it came to things like this, Flug was terrible at lying and covering up for others (or even himself). However, his boss failed to remember that the omega had managed to keep his secondary gender, dyslexia, his face, and basically everything he deemed _flawed_ about him a secret for approximately eleven years. And besides, he wasn’t lying. He _was_ telling the truth, and couldn’t help but find it annoying (and perhaps a little insulting) that he was being placed as the victim. Black Hat really couldn’t see past his secondary gender— it was a little more than obvious at this point.

“I’m not lying…!” He tried to sound confident, but his voice cracked. He just hoped Black Hat hadn’t noticed that.

“ **Oh?** ” He took another step forward. Flug couldn’t help but take a step back to restore the distance between them. He couldn’t bear staying so close to Black Hat at that point. “ **That’s what we’ll see.** ” His face twisted into an unfamiliar scowl. “ ** _Omega_ ,**” he called lowly and demonically, almost sounding like a beast. Dr. Flug’s heart skipped a beat, and he found himself unable to look away or even move from where he stood. So _this_ was how Black Hat felt whenever he called him ‘alpha’. He… He didn’t know how to feel about this. It was… weird. It wasn’t uncomfortable or painful or agonizing like the alpha command, it was just that: _weird_. Perhaps, with enough willpower, he could snap out of it, but, at the moment, he didn’t have enough willpower to do nothing but obey. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder… Could it get any worse? What was Black Hat planning? “ ** _I command you to tell me the truth_.** ” _Why did I even ask?_ The scientist asked himself, feeling his stomach drop. He had just been alpha commanded for the third time that night (thankfully his boss would never figure that out). Things _could_ , in fact, get worse. And now he had no choice in the matter.

Well, if Black Hat wanted the truth, then Dr. Flug would give him the truth.

“It _is_ the truth.” He narrowed his eyes and nothing else. The body language was enough of a cue for the alpha to understand he wasn’t lying. Being alpha commanded to do an act and being alpha commanded to speak something were completely different. During the first, Flug felt trapped, like a mind in a body that did not belong to him. It was agonizing, and every second became an hour; his nervousness didn’t help much, honestly. Black Hat’s alpha command was much more relieving. He didn’t have to do anything against his will other than speak, and he was more than happy to spill the truth if it pleased his al— _boss_. “I singlehandedly punched an alpha, accidentally revealed my status, got myself and Demencia hurt, came out during the worst time, and got myself elbowed in the face. This is the truth. Are you happy, _alpha_?” Flug’s expression changed instantly and his heart skipped a beat. What had he just done? Not only had he confessed everything with an attitude, but he had also called Black Hat ‘alpha’ for the thousandth time that week. He hadn’t meant to say that last part out loud; it just came out during the heat of the moment. It was so… _natural_ , like he barely had any control of his own words. He saw how Black Hat stilled at that.

The doctor had no idea how intense the effect of the word ‘alpha’ was until he’d experienced it firsthand, and now the reaction was understandable. _I’m a dead man_ , he concluded, but still wasn’t willing to bet on that. Despite having multiple near-death experiences, Flug still hadn’t been physically harmed by the eldritch. He was almost sure that his omega status prevented the alpha from harming him. Did it, though? He had to know. Not now, however; doing this (somewhat dangerous) experiment right now would result in more chaos.

Dr. Flug noticed how Black Hat recomposed in less than a second. In one moment he was a mess of alpha hormones, and in the other he was back to being his imposing, proud, and powerful self. The doctor didn’t know whether he should be relieved or not. On one hand, a hormone-driven alpha was never a good thing, especially when it came to an omega they’d imprinted on; on the other, neither was his (usually) rational boss who could be legitimately terrifying most — if not all — of the time. The only person who hadn’t talked at this point in time was Demencia.

Speaking of which, she couldn’t hold it anymore. The guilt was eating her from inside out. She’d never felt something like this before, something so _intense_ and _painful_. The only feeling that manifested at a time like this was amusement, but the hybrid could barely bring herself to smile without feeling awful. “It wasn’t his fault!” She blurted out without thinking. The guilt was so extreme that it blinded the need to get a backup plan (or, you know, an _actual_ plan). Black Hat’s gaze shifted from the scientist to her. Flug gave her a desperate, ‘please-don’t-get-involved’ stare. Suddenly the situation became even less fun, and, even worse, she had no idea what to say or do. “He… I, uh…” How could she even _begin_ explaining their predicament? And there was also the fact that she was now Black Hat’s center of attention. Demencia couldn’t bring herself to feel anything she used to feel for the eldritch, and she couldn’t figure out whether that was good or not. “ _I_ was the one who got Flug in trouble!” The confession came out much more easily than she expected. Still, she had a long way ahead. Black Hat narrowed his eyes, thoroughly unimpressed. Dr. Flug’s pleading stare was ignored.

“ **Explain,** ” the alpha ordered menacingly, baring his sharp teeth to look even more threatening than he already was (not that he needed it, of course). That was his tactic to make others talk, and it always worked — people are driven forward by fear, after all; it’s a survival instinct. His pheromones, which Demencia used to be very fond of, were nauseating. “ **And, if at any point I feel like you’re lying, well… You’d better have already written your will.** ” She hadn’t.

“Demencia, please—” Flug tried to intervene, but one glance from his boss was enough to stop him dead in his tracks.

“ **This is none of your business, _omega_.** ” Black Hat heavily emphasized that last word as a way to both intimidate his scientist and, in a (very offensive) way, ‘put him in his place’. Despite the bold and infuriating attempt, his threat had fallen on deaf ears. Dr. Flug’s need to help his sister overcame his survival instincts and biological need to listen to his alpha. He couldn’t afford falling prey to the alpha’s tricks now, no matter how much his inner omega protested.

“Sir, you don’t und—”

The alpha snapped at his employee’s insolence. Had he not been clear enough? Perhaps it was time to take it up a notch. “ **I command you to be _quiet_.** ” The omega tensed, feeling his throat and muscles tighten as his heart skipped a beat. That was the exact opposite of what he’d been previously ordered. The irony was strong and bitter. Black Hat then turned to Demencia. “ **Speak.** ” Her throat went dry almost immediately. She’d never felt this nervous around him before. He was usually too blinded by her irrational infatuation to realize he could easily kill her (and that he considered and came very close to doing so many, many times). Now everything was crystal clear, and she was an idiot. Not only did she get herself and her poor, long-suffering brother in this hell of a mess, but she also never stopped to even think about what she wanted to say. Where should she even start? The perfume? The ball? The vampires? How would Black Hat react to those things? He wouldn’t appreciate them; that she knew. He worried a lot about his public image, and it wasn’t a surprise that his employees would eventually ruin everything. It was almost guaranteed.

Knowing she was trapped and had no chance of escape, Demencia began explaining.

She tried to remember as much as possible, and, for the first time ever, she actually thought about what she wanted to say before she said it. She talked about the perfume, the vampires, the bite mark (which she had tried to shamefully hide with little success), how she had to rub vodka on her neck to get rid of that hellish omega smell — which explained why she smelled like alcohol —, how she’d been lured into that dark room with promises of more food and drinks, and pretty much everything else. Her stuttering and the butterflies in her stomach weren’t helping much. The more she spoke, the more Black Hat’s pheromones changed. And yet, he didn’t move or interrupt her. He remained expressionless and silent throughout the whole explanation. Demencia found it unsettling (so did her brother), and had to look down to avoid trailing off. Meanwhile, Dr. Flug was suffering internally _and_ externally. He was still under the alpha command’s influence, and found himself unable to speak or even move (after all, ‘quiet’ had many definitions, both physical and vocal, and his inner omega decided to embrace both). It was more agonizing than Black Hat’s previous alpha command. Not being able to voice his concerns or even do something simple like taking a step forward was a huge problem. It was like when he’d first been alpha commanded, and it was hellish. He just couldn’t understand. He’d always taken the blame for Demencia’s antics, even when it was clear as day that she was the culprit, so why was she taking responsibility for her actions _now_? Why wouldn’t she let him take the blame? Even if it sounded stupid, Flug would accept it. Black Hat wouldn’t hurt him like he’d hurt her. An alpha doesn’t hurt their omega, or, at least, they weren’t supposed to. Well, there was no way he could protest now. He could try and speak if he wanted, but…

Flug would never dare snap out of Black Hat’s alpha command.

“Well, that’s all that happened, I guess… I mean, there might’ve been other shit too but I was too focused on not dying to know, so…” That sounded reasonable.

It took Black Hat a few seconds to react. “ **Do you realize what you did?** ” He sounded surprisingly calm, but his underlings, having lived with him for so long, knew this wasn’t good. A silent Black Hat was never good. If they were given the choice between screams and threats, and absolute silence, they’d definitely choose the first one. The eldritch took a step forward, looming over Demencia, who didn’t even move; she was either too scared or too defeated to do so. Something about the eldritch’s pheromones kept her in place, preventing her from fleeing. She opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of an answer that wouldn’t get her killed, but she had absolutely nothing. “ **You have not only endangered yourself and my top employee, but my reputation as well. Do you have _anything_ to say for yourself, vermin?** ” Demencia swallowed down an apology. One would only worsen things. Begging for her life wasn’t an option either.

Black Hat was merciless.

“I, uh…” She tried, but nothing came. _Shit_ , she thought.

Her boss did not seem amused by her lack of an answer. “ **I will repeat myself one more time: do you have _anything_ to say for yourself?**”

She didn’t.

Dr. Flug watched everything unfold nervously. Black Hat’s apparent equanimity and neutral pheromones were driving him up the wall. Not being able to know what someone was feeling made him uneasy. As a dyslexic, he could at least take pride in being able to read others, but his boss would always be an exception. Honestly, he didn’t care about anything else anymore. He just wanted to put an end to this madness. He should have told Demencia about the omegas; he should have told her about the societal roles, the kidnapping, the objectification, the suffering, the rape, the forced bonding, the Omega Cross, the Alpha Sphere, Omega Protective Services, and literally _everything else_ , but he didn’t because he was afraid she wouldn’t listen and all of the information given would be useless. Still, he should have insisted. That’s what scientists do. They persist until it works. But Flug just gave up without even trying, and he was now suffering the consequences. Honestly, he should’ve thought about this possibility. Why couldn’t he, Flug Slys, think about long-term consequences? He wished he could say he was surprised. He had always been terrible at planning ahead (even with his runaway, which had almost ended in disaster). This was one of his most prominent flaws, and one that affected his work negatively. He never thought, however, that it’d also affect his personal life, but it did.

And he fucking _hated it_.

For now, nobody had died. It wouldn’t be long, however, until someone did something that would make Black Hat snap. It was only a matter of time. The eldritch was a walking bomb of alpha pheromones and rage. Pushing him over the edge wasn’t hard. And, in his current state, it would be even easier. He turned to Demencia, who had literally nothing to say as a defense. She’d pretty much sealed her fate once she directed Black Hat’s attention to herself, and, out of all things she’d done this night, deeming herself as the culprit took the cake. But, despite being terrified (as she should be)… she seemed _okay_ with that. Dr. Flug bit his lip. They were all waiting for Black Hat’s response, as Demencia seemed to have none. As if on cue, the eldritch spoke, voice dripping with the most deadly of venoms, “ **You’re a _fucking disappointment_ and a _pest_.** ” The hateful statement floated in the air, making it heavier and harder to breathe in. He was, once again, struggling to keep his current appearance. Flug, who had already grown used to his boss’s outbursts, especially after he came out as an omega, could see it. In a case like this, he would usually feel fear for his own life, but now he felt fear for Demencia’s. She, too, seemed horrified.

“I didn’t mean…” Her words meant nothing to him.

Black Hat stepped closer and closer to the point of making the hybrid claustrophobic. “ **Do you know what we do with pests, my dear Demencia?** ” His lips contorted into a sickening grin, physical appearance uneven, and Flug felt his stomach swirl. He knew where this was going. So did his sister, as she started backing away until she almost tripped over her own dress, preventing her from going any further. Black Hat was scary when he was angry. As his normal, professional self, the eldritch is composed, calm, and maybe even charming (well, as charming as an abomination like him could be). But, whenever he was fed up with his employees’ skylarking (mainly Demencia’s), he would blow up like a grenade manufactured in hell, and it was never pretty. Flug had spent approximately two years studying Black Hat and his actions, besides all of those times he suffered physical punishments for his failures and even because he happened to simply bump into his boss during a bad day. He’d learned soon enough that, in that household, fairness didn’t exist. He also learned a lot about his boss’s behavior, and there was one fundamental truth about Black Hat that everyone needed to know, but only a few did: _never_ taunt Black Hat, because he may bark, but he also bites. He is _vicious_.

And thus they returned to the big question: _what do we do with pests?_ The answer couldn’t have been clearer.

“ **We _ȩ ̸̧l̴̡ ̷͜i̴ ̛͏̨m̴ ̶̴̡i̶̴ ̸̶͘n̶̵ ̷a̴͝ ̨͢t ͘͜͞e̢ ̵ ̨͘͜ ͘t̵͜ ̷̢h ̨͜͢e̴͜͞ ͡m͘̕_.** ”

And Black Hat lunged at Demencia.

Her breath hitched, and her heart began to flat-line. She had always shamelessly told everyone about how she would love to be brutally slayed by the demon and how having it happen would be a dream come true, but she took it all back as soon as she, for the first time in years, embraced logic. Seeing that inhuman mass of tentacles, eyes, teeth, and pure, unadulterated rage racing towards her made her feel true fear for the first time in her life. She could feel a strange sort of coldness spread throughout her guts, a new type of nervousness she had never felt before. Her entire body was heavy, as if it were made of stone. Running away would be useless; she’d just delay the inevitable and Black Hat would catch up with her in no time. Defending herself wouldn’t do much and she’d suffer a lot more that way (contrary to popular belief, she was _not_ a masochist, just mentally unstable). Demencia didn’t want to just stand there and take it, but there was no other choice. It was time to accept her fate and kiss her life goodbye. She closed her eyes and chuckled sadly. She never thought she wouldn’t enjoy dying in Black Hat’s hands. How _pathetic_.

Demencia was forced to open her eyes when something grabbed her wrist and roughly pulled her to the left and out of the way. She frantically looked around, heart thundering inside her chest, wondering if Black Hat had thought twice about his decision and chose to toy around with her much like a sadistic cat plays with its prey. That wasn’t the case, however. Instead of the scenario she had previously imagined, Flug had snapped out of the alpha command and threw her back before standing in her place. “Flug…?” Demencia stumbled backwards, almost falling, but managed to regain her balance. She watched everything utterly astonished, her mouth hanging open, but she was unable to do anything or even move. It was too late. She was still in shock from Black Hat’s sudden attack, and found herself paralyzed. She just couldn’t understand. Why was Flug doing this _for her_? Why would he endanger his own life just to buy her some more time? He could very well pretend nothing had happened and carry on with his life, for she had annoyed him many, many times. He would finally have peace and quiet to finish his devices without her interrupting every five minutes to drag him into trouble. So, knowing all this, she only had one question… _Why_? Would he ever tell her? Hell, would he _survive_ to tell her? The situation was currently against his favor. But then again, when had it not been?

The bite mark in her shoulder was a constant reminder of what they both had gone through.

Dr. Flug bit his lip as he took Demencia’s place, just barely stumbling backwards due to the impact. Thankfully the carpeted floor’s friction had prevented him from sliding away. This was stupid; so, so incredibly _stupid_. And yet it was the best course of action. He had to know. He had to know if Black Hat would still hurt him. He had to know if Black Hat still cared about his secondary gender enough to not dare lay a finger on him. Flug knew what the answer would be, but be still had to make sure. A small but loud part of him wanted Black Hat to hurt him, even if ever so slightly. This would prove his boss was stronger than his instincts and that he could once again see Flug as his annoying scientist rather than a fragile little omega that constantly needed his protection. Being completely honest, he had no plan and was relying on pure luck, something he severely lacked.

Black Hat hadn’t stopped, nor was he going to. He seemed blinded by rage. Dr. Flug couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity at the unfolding scene; it was _predictable_. He knew how mysterious his boss usually was, and he took that as a warning to stay alert at all times. But, sometimes, the eldritch was an open book, especially in those sorts of situations. Flug wished he could say he was surprised.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and clenched his fists, hoping for the best. As soon as he did that, he was roughly shoved against the wall, held in place by a cold, clawed hand, which was firmly grasping his throat, seemingly with the sole intent to kill him slowly and agonizingly. If this was Black Hat’s plan, he was succeeding. The doctor could barely breathe, and every gulp of air made his chest burn as if he were breathing lava. His heart and brain began racing at an alarming rate, he broke into a cold sweat, and he could feel his consciousness slowly slipping away. He was expecting this. This was normal. He’d gone through this countless times. This was _normal_ , wasn’t it…? So why was he nervous? Why was he _scared_? He was used to being thrown around like a ragdoll, obviously, so fear had become so normal it started becoming a bother rather than a survival instinct, because his boss would never kill him, which made fear ultimately useless. This type of fear, however, was different. He couldn’t describe it, but he knew it was different. It was something he’d never felt before, and it scared him, combining both types of fears to form an unwanted, inhuman hybrid. Opening his eyes, he was met with a low, bestial growl, and locked eyes with the one who was pinning him to the wall.

“ **F̢l̵̵̴̛͢u̢͏g͜.̛.̵̵͜͝.̶͏̵̸͜** ” The doctor tried his best to not flinch or struggle, even if that was just what he needed to do in order to not die from the lack of air. He was cornered, and there was nothing else he could do, or so it seemed. He could still talk, couldn’t he? Perhaps he could try that, but Black Hat didn’t appear to be in the right state of mind for a meaningful and reasonable conversation. He debated on whether he should say something or stay quiet. Should he waste the little oxygen he had left on trying to argue with his boss? He could only take a shot in the dark and hope for the best.

“S-sir, I… can’t… breathe…” This proved itself to be ineffective.

“ **You…** ” Black Hat started, trailing off, as his mind reeled. His voice had become more human, but it was still deep and demonic enough to make everyone present feel uneasy (not like they _weren’t_ uneasy before). Flug, however, was dreading this more than Demencia, because he was the one being pinned against the wall and slowly choked to death. “ **Stop protecting her... She doesn’t deserve it. Let… Let _me_ protect _you_.** ” He spoke slowly, almost as if he were choosing his words carefully (perhaps he was, but no one would ever know). It didn’t take an expert to know who he was talking about, and Flug felt a pang of anger inside his chest, not only because he thought Demencia wasn’t worthy of living, but because he was being placed as a helpless victim, cementing the idea that he, as an omega, couldn’t protect himself and needed an alpha to do the job for him. So he was wrong after all. Black Hat really couldn’t see past his secondary gender, and he probably never would. Why did he even dare have hope in the first place? It was useless. The demon had promised things wouldn’t change, and yet… Why would he have trusted him in the first place? Black Hat had lied a lot to him in the past. One more lie — or even a web of lies —wouldn’t kill him. He made the rules. Flug swallowed, wincing at the pain that followed shortly after.

“E-everyone deserves… a second c-chance…” He spoke slowly, trying to alternate between speaking and breathing, seeing as he could only do one at a time. The eldritch’s suffocating grip wasn’t helping much. Black Hat scowled at the thought.

“ **Your inner omega is speaking,** ” he pointed out, never taking his eyes off his omega, just barely losing himself in those blue eyes which showed nothing but fear, hesitation, and something else he couldn’t quite recognize. He, as a creature made of nightmares and terror, could feel both emotions emanating from his scientist, but, as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t stop now; they’d reached the point-of-no-return. And besides, he needed answers, and he needed them _immediately_. He had to know why Flug didn’t want to accept his protection. Was he not strong enough? Was his scent not alluring enough? Was his personality not attractive for him? Was he interested in another alpha? All of those things could be arranged (one of the perks of being a shapeshifting, all-powerful eldritch). He could change for his omega. He would do _anything_ for his omega.

“S-so is your inner alpha, sir,” Dr. Flug retorted. Heck! Could he feel it?

“ **Do not talk to me like that!** ” Black Hat demanded threateningly, baring his sharp teeth which could easily snap a block of steel in half. How could this be happening? How could his omega be talking back to him like this? He was an alpha! He would _not_ be talked down by his omega of all people! Thankfully his grip hadn’t tightened to match his rising voice. Even if it didn’t seem like it, Black Hat was being extremely careful. He knew how much oxygen humans needed to live, and Flug could definitely survive with the current amount of air he was receiving. If his grip tightened, even if just a little bit, he’d lose an employee and, more importantly, his omega. And yet, despite the threat of a slow, painful death, the doctor was willing to challenge his boss and his supposed authority.

“R-respect is… is not a one way s-street, sir…” In their workplace, this wasn’t true. Black Hat was respected — mostly _feared_ , honestly, but, after having spent two years working for him, those two terms became interchangeable — but he had no boundaries when it came to his employees and their personal space and health. This, however, wasn’t about work. This was about their secondary genders. If he wanted Flug to respect his presence as an alpha, the eldritch had to learn how to respect his presence as an omega.

“ **You—** ”

“ _Excuse me._ ”

Black Hat slowly turned to the source of the voice, and his eyes landed on a rather petite girl who was staring at them with eyes that held nothing but boredom and perhaps slight annoyance. Her posture yelled ‘I’m not paid enough for this’. She had her arms crossed, and was tapping her foot impatiently. Black Hat scowled. This girl was acting like she wasn’t in front of an all-powerful entity that could easily explode the entire universe in a snap of fingers. Thankfully she was a beta, so he wouldn’t have to kill her for daring to exist near his omega. He could still murder her for a plenitude of reasons, one of which being the discussion’s interruption. The eldritch growled warningly. Any reasonable person would’ve already fled without thinking, but the girl stayed. She raised an eyebrow. Black Hat paused for half a second, wondering how that had failed, but decided not to let this affect him. He still had other tricks up his sleeve. He, however, decided he wanted to know what she was there for. “ **What do you fucking want, miserable pest?** ” The girl sighed, looking annoyed. She seemed unwilling to deal with this. _Same,_ Flug thought as he took a deep breath once Black Hat’s grip on his throat loosened.

“Master Amadeus has requested your presence at the dining room,” she informed.

“He can wait,” Black Hat responded curtly. The girl raised an eyebrow.

“The whole room is waiting for you, sir. I’m sure it’d be disrespectful to treat them like this.” Dr. Flug’s heart skipped a beat when the eldritch suddenly let go of him. He took another deep breath, holding his neck, hoping it would make the pain go away, while he tried not to collapse to the floor. He regretted having taken oxygen for granted. He turned back to the innocent servant and then turned to his boss, who seemed ready to slice her in half. Despite his calm posture, his pheromones didn’t lie. His pheromones _never_ lied. He had to act, and fast. Black Hat was known for his perfect timing when killing victims, except for when he decided to play with them for his own amusement. He and Demencia seemed to be one of those exceptions, but perhaps that was because they were his employees, and therefore vital for his company. Flug himself was more important than Demencia, for he was not only the only scientist in Black Hat Co., but also the (apparently) last standing male omega. It was clear that the eldritch wouldn’t kill him, or so it seemed (the only proof he had was that he hadn’t been killed yet, but he couldn’t count on anecdotal evidence to take him anywhere). He could and would hurt him if necessary, and the soon-to-be bruises in his neck were enough proof of that.

Despite wanting to just lie down on the carpeted floor and never wake up, Flug dashed forward and stood between his boss and the servant, who, in response, bit her lip. Thankfully for Dr. Flug, he managed to speak before Black Hat had a chance to berate him or use an alpha command. Like before, he had no plan whatsoever, but he had a good idea of what he needed to do. “S-sir,” he started, wondering if the alpha could hear his heart thundering inside his chest. This wouldn’t be good. Showing nervousness in front of Black Hat was a bad thing, as it was often seen as a weakness. It was slightly common, however, since the eldritch was used to people fearing his mere presence. Taking a deep breath, he continued. “We should go to the dining room. It’ll be better if we do.” Black Hat opened his mouth to speak, and then Flug remembered he’d forgotten one tiny detail. He couldn’t help but wonder if he should interrupt his boss or not. _Go for it_ , his inner omega spoke, and so he did. “Please,” he begged, staring at Black Hat in the eye.

Fortunately, it had worked. Flug saw how his boss faltered, like he’d just been sprayed with holy water and positive thoughts. He would have to remember to thank Eglantine later for telling him to use his ‘omega charm’, although he didn’t know if a simple ‘please’ counted as a charm or not. Perhaps he’d find out later on. “ ** _Fine,_** ” Black Hat growled out as he shot the young girl a glare that could’ve turned her to dust. Nobody knew how she managed to survive _and_ look at the demon with a face of utter boredom. Nobody had done such a thing before, and, to Black Hat, it was unsettling. Was he losing his ability to intimidate others? Either that or that girl was born from steel, containing no emotions whatsoever within her. He was inclined to go with the latter. “Lead the way,” he ordered. The girl nodded and spun on her heels, heading towards the end of the corridor they were in. Black Hat walked past Flug and did not speak anything else. The scientist would be lying if he said he wasn’t relieved this had been solved without a complete bloodbath.

Just as he was about to follow the two, someone grabbed his hand. His heart skipped two beats as he turned around, wondering if one of the vampires had returned to mark him again, but he let out an audible sigh once he realized it was none other than Demencia. He’d almost forgotten about her. “Okay, so, uh…” She rubbed her arm awkwardly. “Are you okay? Like, mentally and stuff,” she asked. Dr. Flug pondered about that for a minute.

“I think I am.” He started walking, and the hybrid followed. “I’m used to that.”

“Oh,” Demencia responded blandly. He couldn’t help but find this strange. She wasn’t acting like her normal self. She seemed more self-aware now. Had Black Hat left this much of an impression? How had he done that? Despite years upon years of abuse, Demencia always followed him blindly, like a dog loyal to its owner. However, one death threat was apparently enough to make her change her mind. How, though? He’d seen Demencia go through countless torture methods, and yet she never ceased to love and worship Black Hat. So why was she not fawning over almost being mauled by him like she always did? What had changed?

It was Flug’s turn to ask the questions. “Are _you_ okay?”

“Huh?” Demencia blinked. It was like she’d just been abruptly awakened in the middle of the night. “ _Oh_.” She blew a raspberry, waving her hand dismissively. So far, this has been the only actions that her normal self would do, and yet they still looked out of place, like she was faking them. “Yep, totally. I’m great; more than great, actually. You know, just thinking about how Blackie’s hot and stuff. You know me. I’m just doing Demencia stuff.” Dr. Flug raised an eyebrow at this. He’d never seen her like this before. “So, how’s it going? This whole omega thing, I mean,” she asked, putting on the fakest smile she could muster, and the doctor felt a pang of guilt hit him. He had failed to tell Demencia about the omegas. Because of him, she almost got raped and killed. He had done that to her. How could she still act like things were okay between them? He couldn’t comprehend it. Was she gullible or simply oblivious?

“Ah, yes, _that_ …” Flug refused to say the words. He knew they would leave a bad taste in his mouth, and that was the last thing he needed now. “I, uh, don’t really care, honestly. It’s something I’ve learned to put up with.”

“Oh…” Demencia answered once again, averting her eyes. So he’d been enduring this for years without telling her? She couldn’t help but feel slightly offended at that, especially since she was the one who sought him to explain what omegas were. She trusted him! However, she was starting to see things from his point of view. If what had been said was true, male omegas were now extremely rare, and announcing to her, someone who had absolutely no filter no matter the context, that he was one would only end up badly for both of them (though mainly for him). She could understand why he wouldn’t want to tell her, or anyone, for that matter. And, seeing how things had gone, it seemed like Black Hat himself only found this out when she stole his scent blockers. Now she knew why he seemed so anxious.

Their walk to the dining room was silent as the young girl quietly led the way. Nobody had attempted to break the silence. While they walked, Dr. Flug suppressed a panic attack. Everyone in that room knew he was an omega, a _male omega_ , and they knew how rare he was. They also knew he wasn’t bonded, which complicated things. They did not seem to be able to make a connection between him and Black Hat, which meant his status as a scientist was, for now, unknown. Flug didn’t know whether he should be relieved or not. Black Hat’s mood had not gotten better since their argument — his disturbing silence proved that —, which meant that he and, by extension, everyone in that room were collectively fucked. Black Hat could easily eradicate an entire country if he so wished, and driving him up the wall was incredibly easy. Dr. Flug started having flashbacks of all of those commercials they made, and how his boss lost his temper in almost all of them. Calming him down wasn’t an easy feat either. It took a few natural disasters and snake poison to lighten him up a little bit.

Still, he had other things to worry about, one of them being that he was about to enter a room full of alphas who knew he was an omega. What could he do? He didn’t want Demencia to see the atrocities that could possibly happen there. Would there be fights? He hoped not. He didn’t want to deal with that right now.

“We’re here,” the servant announced as she opened the red-painted double doors. Flug gulped, feeling a knot in his throat. His mind started racing as soon as his eyes landed on the rest of the guests before they could even acknowledge his presence. He didn’t remember the ball having _so many guests_. It filled his stomach with a familiar coldness, the same feeling that filled him when Cyprian attempted to claim him. Once their presence was made known by the servant, who bowed at Amadeus in respect, all eyes went to _him_. The doctor could see a range of emotions that came with the stares; curiosity, confusion, anger, happiness, doubt, wish, and _lust_. The last one sent shivers down his spine, forcing him to look downcast as he tried to avoid all eye contact. The smell of alphas crammed in one place made his stomach swirl. He decided to focus on the red carpet under his feet instead. It seemed much more interesting than the thousands of alphas staring at him as if he were a rare creature. Looking up, his eyes landed on a chandelier similar to the one in the ballroom. The familiarity brought him unpleasant memories.

Knowing he couldn’t keep staring further unless he wanted to become blind, Flug decided to focus on something else. There was not much to be said about the bland wallpapers, the white-painted ceiling, or the ordinary chairs, but the table was fascinating. It was long — longer than any table he had ever seen — and he couldn’t help but keep staring. The silverware was neatly arranged alongside the porcelain plates which were filled with gourmet-looking food. The tablecloth was white with golden decorations, and it managed to cover the entire table despite its length. There were linen napkins next to each plate along with a round glass of what he assumed was wine, but he could see some glasses brimming with champagne and even vodka. Having spent so much time around his father, he knew how to identify a lot of different alcoholic beverages.

Meanwhile, the servant walked up to Amadeus and said, “I’ve brought the remaining guests as you ordered, sir.” He nodded.

“Thank you, Genevieve. You’re dismissed.” The servant, Genevieve, bowed one more time before excusing herself. Amadeus turned to Black Hat and his employees. “Take a seat, we have six remaining.” He gestured to a few empty seats. Thankfully there were three empty seats next to each other. Dr. Flug figured the other three were meant for the vampires, as they seemed to have vanished without a trace. He didn’t blame them. He too would’ve run off after what had happened. Without hesitating, he sat in the chair in the middle. This position was strategical. This way, he could sit near both Demencia and Black Hat without leaving one of them unhappy, and having Demencia sit near Black Hat after what had happened a few minutes ago was a very bad idea. Black Hat sat to his right and Demencia sat to his left. Before anyone could say anything, Amadeus asked, “Has anyone seen the vampires? They haven’t arrived yet.”

“They left,” someone from the back of the room responded.

“Yeah, Cyprian and his pride died so they took him away,” another one added unnecessarily, but half the room erupted into silent giggles.

“I see,” Amadeus answered, ignoring the laughing villains around him. “It doesn’t matter. Now that we’re all here, let’s eat.” A few villains had already started attacking their meal, biting the meat to shreds without bothering to chew. Flug scrunched up his nose before turning to his own meal. It didn’t look to bad. And yet, he didn’t feel hungry. His glass was filled with more wine. He decided it wouldn’t be wise to drink it. He’d already drunk some before, and he needed to be sober to survive this hellhole. As he decided on what to do, someone beside him decided to start a conversation in the least charming way possible.

“Oi, honey, where’s your scent? I miss it.” And then the villain, whose spicy alpha scent was mixed with the other alphas’, rested his elbow against the table, staring at the doctor in the eyes. Flug didn’t know if he should respond to this or not. How could he even respond to that? And… And did that man just call him ‘honey’? _Ew_.

“ **It’s none of your business,** ” Black Hat answered threateningly, baring his sharp teeth.

“Whoa, calm down, I was just asking,” the villain tensed and then raised both his arms in a sign of redemption, indicating he wasn’t up for a fight at that point.

“ **It doesn’t matter what you were doing, if you look at him one more time I’ll rip your guts out and shove them up your—** ”

“Sir!” Flug called, trying to be the peacekeeper. “It’s ok.” It wasn’t ok, really, but he would never dare tell _Black Hat_ himself that. “I’m just using a scent blocker,” he finally answered with a sigh.

“It’s a pity,” another person piped up as she sipped on her glass of champagne before putting it down. Dr. Flug felt less threatened by her presence as a beta, but he still felt threatened nonetheless. It felt like he was the only one trying to actually avoid talking about his omega status. “I’ve never smelled an omega before. I didn’t know their scent was so _sweet_. It smells like my grandmother’s garden.” _Should I be flattered or…?_ The doctor asked himself, staring at his own food. His heart started beating irregularly. He did _not_ want this conversation to turn into a discussion about his scent, nor did he want the conversation to be about _him_. He was not planning to be the center of attention, neither now nor ever. Why couldn’t those guys talk about their own feats like defeating powerful heroes like they’d done in the ballroom? Either way, he was, as usual, out of luck.

“You know what they say, right?” a third villain chimed in. This one was right in front of the doctor, and he dared make eye contact. His chapped lips curved into a smirk as he spoke, “ _The virginal ones always smell the sweetest_.”

Flug’s heart skipped a beat.

“ _What?_ ” He asked without thinking.

“Ah, you were listening. Good.” The man readjusted himself, grabbing his glass of wine and swaying it back and forth much like Eglantine had done before. His alpha scent was stronger than the others, but not as strong as Black Hat’s. “I’ve smelled it. The scent of a bouquet made of the most precious jasmines and the most beautiful roses. I can tell you’re a virgin solely by the sweetness of your aroma.” The doctor cringed. He knew many things could be guessed when it came to his scent, but he wasn’t aware that they could also know whether he was a virgin or not, and that was downright _creepy_. He was thankful for the scent blocker Eglantine had given him, or he would have to endure his virginal scent spreading around that room, and that wouldn’t be good. Deep inside, however, he knew it didn’t matter because about ninety percent of those villains already knew what he smelled like, and that was why they were having that stupid, stupid conversation. Couldn’t they just leave him alone already? He wasn’t prepared for this. He wasn’t prepared for any of this. He couldn’t cope.

Instead of responding, Dr. Flug turned to his food. He grabbed the silverware, cut a huge piece of the perfectly-cooked chicken, and unceremoniously shoved it into his mouth. He didn’t care that what he had done was not ‘fancy’, because all he needed was a distraction, be it food or anything else. The mysterious stranger narrowed his eyes at that. “You’re going to choke. Cut it in smaller pieces,” he ordered. He did not ask. He _ordered_. And Flug did not like being ordered by someone who wasn’t his boss, nor was he going to simply accept it. And what did he mean by ‘you’re going to choke’? Jesus, he was eighteen-years-old, not eighteen- _months_ -old. He could handle himself. Still, he couldn’t just lash out like he wanted. This was a formal party, and therefore he had to be formal when voicing his concerns with this flawed logic.

“I appreciate the concern, sir, but I don’t think—”

“I wasn’t asking,” the stranger cut him off. “I’d start learning to take orders from an alpha if I were you.”

Flug stared at him with wide eyes. He couldn’t believe it was finally happening. Another alpha at the man’s side finally protested, “Uh, Sjena, don’t you think you’re overreacting a little bit?” _So his name is Sjena_ , Flug thought, biting his lip. At least he knew _something_ about that man, considering the alpha knew apparently everything about him just by his scent. Sjena put his glass down despite not having taken one sip.

“Of course not. Omegas can’t take care of themselves, so we have to do it for them.” He crossed his arms and scoffed. “And yet they don’t even appreciate the things we do for them.” Flug wanted to laugh. He had to _appreciate_ being told he was had worse motor skills than a three-year-old? The villain who addressed Sjena just shook his head in disappointment. _At last, someone I can relate to,_ Flug thought. He looked at Black Hat, who seemed to be doing his best to control his temper, and then to Demencia, who seemed to be in utter disbelief. He didn’t want her to witness the cruelty of how omegas were treated, but it was unavoidable at this point. Besides, he should be glad Sjena hadn’t used an alpha command yet, which he would only dare use if he had a death wish (Black Hat was almost reaching his breaking point).

Meanwhile, Black Hat tried to control himself as his mind imploded. Flug was a virgin? How was that even remotely possible?! His mind was unable to grasp the concept of a virginal Flug. On one hand he shouldn’t have been surprised, as his secondary gender would be easily discovered if he did have sex with anyone. On the other hand he should have been surprised, because Flug was the epitome of humanity, a masterpiece of nature, a carefully crafted walking piece of art — even with his signature paper bag — and those who didn’t want to have sex with him were fools. Well, those who _did_ want to have sex with him were also fools because he would kill them all, but that was not the point. Finally, after minutes of silence, Black Hat snapped out of his trance and spoke.

“Flug is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, you piece of shit, and the fact that you’re unable to comprehend this explains a lot considering your small, intolerant brain.” Dr. Flug felt a little relieved that his boss joined in. Nobody besides him and Demencia had dared talk back to the eldritch. And yet that did nothing to stop Sjena from continuing to speak. Amadeus groaned internally. He knew where this was going, and he didn’t like it one bit. Eglantine shot her husband a pitiful look.

“I’m just stating facts,” he argued as his smug grin twisted into a frown. “If omegas were capable of taking care of themselves, we wouldn’t have the Omega Cross, now would we?” Flug bit his cheek. He hated the Omega Cross with a burning passion. They were the ones who forced omegas all around the world to hide and fear for their lives and well-being under the disguise that what they were doing was for ‘the greater good’. He hated them, and wanted to take the whole organization down. It sounded impossible, however. A few whispers started lighting up the room. He could hear them all. A few villains showed support for Sjena’s ideas, but others didn’t seem to be amused at all.

“You’re just stating bullshit,” someone from the back of the room shouted.

“Stop talking, dude…” another one murmured as he pinched his nose and shook his head in disappointment.

“You’re kind of biased,” the beta who had mentioned Flug’s scent told Sjena as she took a bite from her own meal. Hundreds upon hundreds of whispers lit up the room as they pierced Flug’s ears, making him want to disappear as much as possible. He was glad they were defending him, but he didn’t like being the center of attention at the moment, or at all. Couldn’t they just pretend none of this had happened and talk about all of those times they were defeated by the OHC or something? This sounded much more interesting.

“He’s right, though, isn’t he? The Omega Cross has saved a lot of omegas.” Something inside Flug snapped, but he managed to not show it.

“I do think so,” another one whispered, although loud enough for most people to hear. “But I don’t know if what they’re doing is right.”

“Of course it isn’t!”

Sjena finally exploded, standing up and hitting the table with a fist. “How can you defend the _omega_? He’s the one breaking all of the societal rules and yet you’re treating him like one of us when he’ll never be anything other than an _omega_!” The table fell silent as Sjena received thousands of stares, some showing support and others showing disgust. He cleared his throat and sat back down, relaxing his muscles and sighing. “Forgive my outburst. That was very… _impolite_ of me.” _The word you’re looking for is ‘childish’_ , Flug corrected mentally, feeling glad that a few people were standing up for him. He never thought this would happen. He decided to eat one more piece of his chicken, but this time cut it in smaller pieces. He didn’t want to start World War III over food.

Black Hat started growling. He clearly was not enjoying the conversation — neither was everyone else, to be honest —, and this was not good. Putting one protective alpha with a ‘fragile’ (according to him) unmated omega in a room full of other alphas was a great pathway to a bloodbath. Flug began to panic. He didn’t want the eldritch to snap, but there wasn’t much he could do… right? _Wait, could I…?_ It was a stupid idea, but he had to try. He had read online a long time ago that sometimes omegas can emit certain sounds that make their alphas react in different ways. One of those sounds was a purr that could calm an enraged alpha down by assuring their inner alphas that the omega felt safe with them. He’d always wondered if that was a myth or not but he couldn’t try it out for obvious reasons. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his muscles and allowed his inner omega to take over. His mind blanked and all he thought about was how to make his alpha calm. His chest vibrated as a small purr escaped his lips. It was not loud enough to be heard by the other alphas, but it was loud enough to be heard by Black Hat, who immediately relaxed as soon as he heard the sound.

Flug continued purring for a few more seconds before he stopped. Once the omega opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Black Hat no longer seemed to want to kill as much people as he possibly could. He seemed a lot calmer now. _It worked, it really worked_ , he thought as he beamed with happiness. It had really worked. It seemed like that wasn’t a myth after all. He would have to write that down later, and then do as much research about it as possible.

It was _fascinating_.

Black Hat was confused. On one moment he was about to rip everyone’s heads off and then in the other he was completely relaxed, as if he were on a trip to the beach. He had never felt anything like that before. He had never felt so calm and soothed. It was unusual— _unnatural_. It was almost _wrong_ for him to feel something like this. But… he liked it. He liked the feeling of being calm despite the fact that everyone and everything was a danger to his omega. His inner alpha was no longer alert like it had been before. It seemed to have gone back to sleep, allowing the alpha to have a moment of peace. And yet the confusion remained. What had caused this? Surely his inner alpha wouldn’t go to sleep by itself, would it? That seemed highly unlikely. Dr. Flug sighed in relief. At least he now had one less thing to worry about, although he still couldn’t relax like his boss. He had to be alert for everything.

One of the minions decided to keep the conversation going, and the doctor never wanted to shoot himself in the head so badly. “Dude, he works for Black Hat, I’m pretty sure he’s capable of a hell lot of stuff. I saw his inventions. They’re pretty gr—” Sjena cut him off.

“He should stop this dangerous little game of pretend before he gets hurt.” He took a sip of his wine. Flug absolutely hated how he spoke pretentiously, as if he had the high ground. And what did he mean by ‘game of pretend’? Did he think he was simply _pretending_ to be a scientist? How did this even work? He took a deep breath and looked at his own food. _Avoid conflict; just avoid conflict,_ his inner omega begged. Sjena turned to Black Hat, who was fuming again. His effort to calm him down had been in vain. “You should find another scientist, and quick.” The omega wanted to laugh. Black Hat wouldn’t do this… right? No, he definitely wouldn’t. Despite having his protective streaks every now and then, the demon still depended on him for successful sales, and finding a new scientist on time would be too much of a hassle for anyone. Having him replaced would be… unlikely.

“And _why_ should I? Dr. Flug is the best employee I’ve had,” the eldritch responded. “Better than you’ll ever be.” Despite the insult, the other alpha didn’t seem to mind it. In fact, he seemed quite amused.

“You’re playing with fire,” he explained, toying with his fork. For him, this was just another game, but for Flug, it was about his dignity, public image, and job. “What will you do if the omega gets hurt? What will you do if he _dies_?” He grinned. “It’s a tough decision, I know, but trust me when I say that this is for the omega’s own safety. We cannot afford to lose the last male omega.”

_This is for the omega’s own safety._

No, it wasn’t.

Black Hat never answered.

Flug swallowed the lump forming in his throat. His tuxedo was getting tighter and tighter every second, and he could barely think straight anymore. Every muscle in his body was itching to leave that place as soon as possible and never look back no matter what Black Hat said. And yet he stayed. He couldn’t bring his body to move. Why? He didn’t know why. All he knew at that moment was that he couldn’t let that man insult his capability to work like that. He had to defend himself and his competence alike as Black Hat’s scientist, especially since the eldritch himself was unable — or _unwilling_ ; frankly, he didn’t know at this point — to do so. “It won’t happen,” he said. It wasn’t a hard concept to grasp at all. He did hurt himself from time to time, that was undeniable, but he had never come _that_ close to dying, and the fact that someone who didn’t even know him would suggest that was borderline insulting. As soon as he opened his mouth, the world around him fell silent, as if his words were golden. Sjena narrowed his eyes; the action did not go unnoticed by the doctor, but he continued nonetheless. Things couldn’t get worse than they already were. “I’m a competent—”

“Omegas don’t talk at the table.”

Flug stared at him in utter disbelief, mouth hanging open. He had no words. Sjena stared at him in the eye and continued,

“You must quit this job. After all—” and he grinned, “—, you can’t trust an omega to do an alpha’s job.”

A hand slammed on the table, and all eyes fell on Demencia.

She stood up without a word, sending the chair she was sitting in to the floor with the abrupt movement, and grabbed Flug’s wrist, forcing him to stand up as well. “Hey, wait—” She then, without a single word, spun on her heels and dragged him along. She didn’t know where they were going. She just wanted to get away from them. She wanted to get away from _Sjena_. If she’d been acting like she usually acted, she would’ve already jumped on him with her mace, but, at this very moment, the best course of action would be to get away from the things that angered her — that’s what Flug had once taught her (and yet she failed to listen to him) —, and the whole ballroom was the source of her frustration. The whispers were still ringing in her ears. She couldn’t ignore this anymore. How could they act like this? How could they think this was okay? This wasn’t okay at all. Dr. Flug was a villain _just like them_! Why couldn’t he be treated equally just because he was an omega? What made omegas different? What made them _inferior_? She couldn’t understand. Demencia usually couldn’t understand anything, seeing as she wasn’t as intelligent as everyone else and mostly relied on her strength to get anywhere, but she really couldn’t understand this. Could they, though?

“Demencia, where are we going?” Flug asked.

He received no answer.

“Demencia?”

Still no answer.

Would there ever be an answer?

The corridors were dark and eerie. The lights above them flickered. Demencia could barely see anything, as she lacked the ability to see with the absence of light like most creatures. Her grip on Flug’s wrist tightened as she guided him throughout the maze of hallways until the two saw a single door at the end of the hallway. Resisting the urge to kick the door open, she hastily turned the knob, letting go of the scientist’s wrist. He wouldn’t dare run, for he didn’t know the way back. And, truth be told, neither did she. Opening the door, the two found themselves in a terrace. A current of cold air hit them and the moon was visible from where they stood. The scenario was almost soothing. There were a few tables and chairs scattered around in a non-specific order. Grabbing his wrist once again, Demencia dragged Flug to one table. Seeing as she hadn’t spoken since their small conversation in the hallway, the doctor decided to initiate the conversation this time. “Are you okay…?” He seemed to have snapped the hybrid out of her trance. She looked at him and then the sky, clearly trying to think of an answer.

“What? Me? Perfectly. Never been better,” she answered, waving her hand dismissively. Another current of cold air hit her, and she shivered in response. It reminded her she wasn’t wearing a tuxedo like the scientist was. Speaking of which… “Are _you_ okay?” Dr. Flug was starting to get frustrated with this annoying answer ping-pong, but knew he couldn’t keep lying forever.

“I’m okay,” he said simply with a small smile. “It’s ok. It was my fault.”

Demencia did a double-take.

“…Huh?”

“It’s my fault,” he repeated as his smile faltered for half a second. “I’m sorry. I take full responsibility for what happened.” Demencia stared and stared and _stared_. She was trying to find the logic in his words, but there was none. How could he take responsibility for something beyond his control? How does that even work? The hybrid knew she was not smarter than her brother, but she did know he shouldn’t be apologizing to her. _She_ should be apologizing to _him_! She did this! So… why? Why did she feel so empty and hopeless? There were so many things she could’ve done to prevent this. She could’ve researched about omegas instead of lying around and smashing things with her mace. She should’ve done this. It wasn’t Flug’s fault. It was hers. So why wasn’t he blaming her instead of himself? What made him believe this was his own fault? He’d done the same when Black Hat demanded an explanation for the incident in the ballroom. So he wasn’t covering her at all. He really believed this was his fault.

This made her heart ache.

“Why?” She was slightly afraid to ask, and she already knew what the answer would be. As much as she hated to admit, the situation had become quite predictable. There was one more thing she wanted to know, however. Before he had the chance to answer, she asked, “How did you… _handle it_? I wanted to just _smash_ those guys!” _That’s always my answer to everything_ , she told herself, resisting the urge to laugh bitterly at the irony. Flug put on his best smile, and then turned to the indigo-painted, starry sky in front of them as a third current of air made his white hair fly.

“I’m used to it.” And then he chuckled. “It’s ok.”

It was not ok.

“ _What_?” She gritted her teeth, anger consuming all of her thoughts. This was not okay. None of this was ok, nor would it ever be _ok_. “No! It’s not ok! Why would you even—” Groaning, the slapped herself in the forehead and plopped herself down in the nearest chair she could find. Why was she feeling like this? Why was she so… so _frustrated_? She’d never felt like this before. It was a new sensation, and an annoying one. Why was she bothered by this? All she wanted to do was grab the nearest villain from that ball and snap their neck to relieve the stress. Flug stared at her helplessly, having never seen this side of her before, as he grabbed another chair and put it next to hers, sitting down as well. He’d never been good at comforting anyone, really, so what could he say? ‘I’m sorry you saw how much of a disappointment I am’? No, this would only worsen things for them both. The two sat in utter silence for a few minutes, hearing the crickets sing and feeling the currents of air as they hit their faces, before Dr. Flug decided to speak again. The smell of dust was starting to bother him, but he managed to hide his mild annoyance very well.

He always does.

“I didn’t want you to see this,” he admitted, staring at his own hands in his lap. He was sick of his own voice, and just wanted to return to the soothing silence, but he felt like he should explain himself. He didn’t want the hybrid to keep brooding as she swam in a lake of ignorance for the rest of her life. “I wanted to tell you about the omegas, about how they’re treated, but I didn’t want you to find out like this…” Demencia sniffled. She couldn’t help but feel betrayed.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I…” Flug sighed. How could he explain this without sounding like an idiot? “I thought you wouldn’t take my warnings seriously and… and I was afraid you’d look down on me.” Demencia suddenly snorted as soon as he said that. _What? That’s ridiculous_ , she thought.

“I’d never do that, Flugbug,” she answered truthfully. “You should be the one looking down on me! You’re way smarter than me. You do all of those cool science-y things, but all I do is smash stuff and run after Black Hat like some lost puppy.” She sulked. It was the truth. Not only that, but she was also responsible for the scientist’s secondary gender’s reveal as well. All in all, she didn’t have a very good reputation. “Those guys are idiots.” Chuckling, Flug shook his head.

“It’s not their fault, you know.” Before Demencia could have another rage fit, he decided to explain himself. “Our minds are shaped after the society we’re raised in. If the society teaches their young that an idea is correct, they learn to accept it as the truth and nothing but the truth, which leads us to our current situation.” He tried to simplify the explanation as much as possible, as he knew his sister’s mental limitations. And yet, he didn’t want that explanation to be true. He didn’t want to live in a society where he was not valued for who he worked hard to be, but rather for who he was born as. And he didn’t want to be valued _this way_ , in such a cruel, harsh reality. How could he turn the tables for omegas all around the world? They were a dying secondary gender, which meant that, in a few years, they’d be much more precious than they were now. For him, things would get much worse, being the only known male omega currently. Was he even the last one? It couldn’t be. There _had_ to be other male omegas around. They could be hiding, just like he had managed to hide from the world. He couldn’t be the last one.

He _couldn’t_ be.

“Oh.”

Neither of them talked for a few minutes, appreciating the silence that settled. After he started working with Demencia, Flug learned not to take quietude and peace for granted. The smell of dust was no longer bothering him, and he was quite happy to be in that terrace at the moment. He truly needed this to calm down a little bit. He shouldn’t be thinking about the future now. He could do this after the ball. “I’m glad you dragged me out here, though. I wouldn’t want to be in the dining room right now.” He took a deep breath as the wind made his hair fly again. He’d never felt so free before. “Thanks, Dem.” Demencia chuckled. She could relate to what he was feeling.

“You’re welcome, bro.” She paused for a second. Despite having told her that he was alright, she still had this small feeling that he was not being truthful with her. “But, like, are you _sure_ you’re ok?” Flug’s lips curled into a smile.

“Of course, Dem.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

_Such a liar._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mood
> 
> I just hope I angered you guys a little bit with the dinner part. I want to show both sides of the scale. The side that supports the cruelty with omegas (Sjena), and the side that does not (Flug, Dem, BH and a few unnamed OCs), and to prove that YES PEOPLE, THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO DON'T SUPPORT IT! YAS! Well, tell me what you guys think of the chapter :D I hope to be able to update soon, and the best part is that I'm on vacation so I can update as much as I want to until February! So no 'busy with school' excuses. Once February starts, though, I might not be as active, because next year I'll be a high school senior and that's a major life change for me ;w;
> 
> Wish me luck, fellas.
> 
> Also: if you wanna know what 'eccedentesiast' is, just google it.
> 
> EDIT: Tell me how you want Sjena to die.  
> EDIT 2: Added a few more details to my writing. You don't need to read it again to understand the story, but you'll miss something I forgot to add that will probably make you smile ;)


	13. May I have this dance?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flug desperately needs a four-leaf clover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm done!
> 
> I'm glad all of you decided to keep reading this. I'm so freaking happy that you guys have been with me, and we're almost reaching 16k views! It makes me so proud and makes me want to keep writing and writing for you all. I'm so damn proud of this story and I'm touched that all of you love reading it. Your comments are without a shadow of doubt encouraging and I'd love to have more people comment on this story and leave their thoughts. I surely appreaciated all of your methods to torture Sjena last chapter, and some of you weren't far out. I was also surprised by the ungodly amount of people who wanted Flug himself to be the one to kill Sjena. Oh boy, you all sure LOVE Sjena, don't you? Also, if you guys haven't checked "#killsjena2018" on Homobros Inc then you really should because it's a small hint to what's coming~
> 
> But, of course, I'm not telling you exactly what's going to happen because where would the fun in that be, right?
> 
> Well, enjoy the chapter~

“When I was a child—”

“You’re still a child.”

“Shut up.” Despite his annoyance, Flug didn’t bother suppressing a chuckle. He knew fighting her was useless. “When I was younger, my sister used to buy me a lot of books, but she didn’t really know what little boys liked to read, so she bought fairy tale-related books. Because of… _circumstances_ , she had to read them to me, and the stories were always the same: the brave alpha hero saves the innocent, fragile omega. It didn’t matter the setting or the genders, because it was always the same: the alpha saves the omega. I asked her why there was never an omega or a beta as a hero, and she just told me it’s always been this way. I think she burned the books after I presented, but I’m not sure.” He tried his best to keep a straight face during that last sentence, but he couldn’t help finding the situation hilarious. Imagining Rosemary burning a pile of books on their backyard always put a smile on his face. The hilarious mental image always cheered him up for some reason, although he’d never admit it out loud. Demencia nodded, chewing the inside of her cheek, as a current of air hit them, making their hair fly wildly. Flug felt a tingle inside of him, something he’d never felt before. Yes, this felt good. He was happy Demencia had dragged him outside. It made him almost forget about everything that had happened in the dining room.

“Then I’ll write a book about an omega hero,” she decided with a smile and a determined look in her eyes. Dr. Flug shook his head. He envied her innocence sometimes.

“I don’t think they’d publish it.”

“If they don’t I’ll kick them in the kidney.”

He tried to stifle a laugh, but it was too late. That was another mental image that he wouldn’t be able to remember without smiling. “Yeah, I guess you would, wouldn’t you?” The question wasn’t needed. She definitely would. Demencia was known worldwide for her sheer strength, lack of planning, and general carelessness. If she wanted to kick someone’s ass, she wouldn’t think twice before simply doing it. Flug, on the other hand, knew he wouldn’t be able to do this. He relied on his knowledge instead of his muscles. It had worked for him so far, although he wished he were as strong as Demencia sometimes, and most of the time he wished he were just as carefree. Ignorance is bliss, after all.

“Anything for you, bro,” she replied. Dr. Flug was going to reply when she suddenly tensed and said, “I hear footsteps.” That phrase alone was enough to make the butterflies on the doctor’s stomach take off. A shiver ran up his spine as the thought of Sjena approaching him and his sister made him scowl. Demencia got into a fighting position as they waited. She was ready to strike and take down whoever walked by the door, growling as the knob turned. Her brother, on the other hand, was not prepared at all. He didn’t know what to expect. He didn’t know anything anymore other than the fact that he needed to make it out alive.

The door opened.

And Black Hat walked in.

Flug immediately relaxed before realization hit him. Black Hat looked furious, and for good reason. They had walked out on him, leaving him alone with the rest of those villains and _Sjena_. Oh god, what had his boss done to Sjena? What had he done to _everyone in that goddamn room_? “ ** _You,_** ” Black Hat growled towards Demencia, who tensed once again. She was ready to rip his head out if necessary, even if she doubted the situation would escalate to this (or that she would succeed). “ ** _Out,_** ” he ordered, motioning towards the door with his head. She gave Flug a glare as if asking him what to do, and he simply nodded in response. At this point, he doubted Black Hat wouldn’t hurt her if she didn’t do what he asked. He wasn’t taking chances, not wanting to see Demencia get hurt, especially since he wouldn’t be able to help her or stop his boss in that case. Demencia gave her boss one last skeptical look before scurrying towards the exit and leaving, closing the door behind her. Once he and his employee were alone, the latter tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it didn’t help his nervousness at all. Quite the opposite, in fact; he almost choked on his own saliva.

God, he could already feel his pheromones floating wildly in the air and he was using a scent blocker. How was this possible? Was his nervousness making him feel things that weren’t there? This… explained a lot, actually. “Sir…?” Dr. Flug asked slowly as soon as Demencia left. The demon still hadn’t done a thing and they’d been there, completely alone, for at least three seconds. Black Hat didn’t say anything as he approached the omega. “Black Hat?” What did Black Hat want with him? What had he done besides be a target for Sjena’s unnecessary remarks?

“What did you do to me?” he questioned, narrowing his eye. Before Flug had a chance to explain himself, or even ask what he was talking about — which seemed like the most predictable option —, he continued, “I was going to rip that motherfucker’s head off. I was going to do unbelievable things to him, but… I _didn’t_. In one moment I was going to make him choke on his own heart, but something calmed me down. Something… I know this has something to do with you and your stupid omega presence. Tell me. _What did you do to me_?” he demanded, baring his sharp teeth. Despite knowing that his boss wouldn’t hurt him, the sight was quite intimidating. “If you don’t, well… I have ways to make you talk. _Many_.” The doctor gulped. Was he talking about the purring? He… he was totally talking about the purring. _Oh no_. How could he explain this in a way that didn’t sound strange or embarrassing or both?

“W-well, I thought…” He took a deep breath and tried to organize his thoughts. He had to speak slowly and in a way that sounded believable and normal and _not weird_. “I did this… _thing_ …” It was better not to specify the act, he concluded. He would die of embarrassment if his boss knew, and he did _not_ want his boss or _anyone_ to know _ever_. “…a-and it calms alphas down, apparently. It sends signal to their brains which acts as a calmative. It’s… It’s fascinating. I would like to study it further, honestly. I never thought this was possible. I’d heard the legends but I never tried it out because I didn’t want my identity to be discovered, but I finally had the chance to test it out and I cannot believe—”

“ _Doctor_.” Flug snapped out of it. He never even realized he’d gotten carried away and spoke too much. He always did when speaking about science or things he found interesting. Black Hat couldn’t help but find it adorable, but he suppressed the feeling and carried on like the thought had never crossed his mind. “So you’re telling me you used me as a _guinea pig_ for your stupid little experiment?”

“O-of course not, sir! I would never do that!”

“Then _why_ , Flug? Why?!”

“Because I don’t want you to kill Sjena!” Flug revealed as he shouted, hands curling into fists as he realized his mistake. It was too late now. He had already fucked up and there was nothing he could do to revert the situation. The only thing he could do was dig his grave deeper until he couldn’t anymore. Black Hat could kill him if he wanted. Honestly, at this point, he wanted to die. “We’re ruining the party for everyone else. They only see a bunch of _morons_ who can’t behave properly on a party. They see Demencia as an uncontrollable bitch, they fear you, and I don’t even want to know what they see me as; maybe a sex toy, or someone who shouldn’t be there, or a rebel, or maybe even a _freak_. I _am_ a freak. That’s all I’ll ever be— a fucking freak.” The two stood in silence for a few seconds as Flug rethought all of his life choices. Why had he said that? And to his boss, the least understanding creature on Earth, of all people? What would Black Hat do to him? God, he probably thought his employee was nothing but a pathetic mess. And he was. Dr. Flug didn’t want to admit he was a freak, he wanted to think the world had wronged him, but… But maybe he _was_ a freak. He was an omega, and yet he was working, he wasn’t bonded, nor did he have an alpha to order him around. He broke all societal rules when it came to omegas.

He was a _freak_.

“And why would that be, doctor?”

“I’m not like most omegas. I work and I believe in equal rights for omegas, but I shouldn’t. We’ll never be equal to alphas and betas. We’ll just keep being kidnapped until we die out, and this day is closer than ever. I’m the last male omega standing. We’re not far away from total extinction, and I’ll be glad when it happens because we’ll be free from all of this bullshit.” The doctor took a deep breath and tried to keep himself from fainting. He had completely lost his filter and was now saying whatever came to mind even if it killed him. The eldritch eyed him for a second, seemingly not affected by his sudden speech. Why would he be, though? He was Black Hat, number one villain and strongest creature to ever grace the Earth, and Dr Flug was nothing more than a measly employee that was lucky enough to stumble upon the demon as a teenager. Without Black Hat, he would’ve been dead a long time ago, but… What had Flug done to repay him? Nothing. He had done _nothing_.

“You’re right in one thing, doctor,” Black Hat said as he walked around the terrace, touching one of the dusty tables and scowling in disgust. “You’re not like most omegas, and that’s what differentiates you from them. You’re more than just an omega.” Oh, so _now_ he was more than an omega? What happened a few moments ago when he was a fragile, defenseless damsel in distress who needed an alpha for everything? What did Black Hat think about his secondary gender _then_?

Flug bit his lip.

“Sjena was right.”

… What?

“ _Sjena was right_ ,” he repeated, louder this time. His chest was filled with an unknown feeling, something bitter and dark. He could almost taste it in his mouth. It was disgusting, but something told him the feeling had been there all along, waiting to be inevitably awakened. “I can’t deny it anymore.” He really couldn’t. All of the things Sjena said, no matter how terrible, were true— all of them. What was the point in denying them anyway? They wouldn’t stop being true, even if he said they weren’t. Flug raised his head once he heard Black Hat growl, even if the eldritch was on the other side of the terrace. The demon proudly showed his sharp fangs and turned to the closed door, ready to march towards the dining room and rip Sjena’s head out.

“ _That **motherfucker**_!” he exclaimed, spinning on his heels and flipping a table which broke easily under the sheer amount of strength it was exposed to. The scientist gasped as he watched the scene unfold with fear and bewilderment. He was expecting the eldritch to eventually agree with him, not to destroy other people’s property and get enraged. The action seemed way too easy for him, and that scared the omega the most. It proved that Black Hat really was the monster that he prided himself on being. “I will _rip his liver out and **make him eat it**_.” The threat seemed genuine.

“Sir, please…” Flug swallowed. Calming Black Hat down wasn’t an easy feat, and he’d only really managed to do that when he… _Oh no_. He tried to tell himself there was another option, and so he tried to call for his boss once more. “Sir…?” He got no response.

Well, there was only one choice left.

Taking a deep breath, he hugged himself and walked towards his boss. His mind raced. What was he going to do? Was he really going to waltz up to the eldritch and purr his problems away? Was that his solution? Yes. Yes, it was. It wasn’t the only solution, but he was running out of time and it seemed like the easiest and most accessible solution at the moment. And, even if there were other solutions, Flug didn’t know them. For him, purring seemed the only solution. Black Hat didn’t even notice or acknowledge him. He seemed ready to destroy more things. That always seemed to be his solution. On frustrating days, when he was really, really angry, he would leave to destroy a village or something. Dr. Flug never knew if he was being serious, because he never saw Black Hat actually destroy a village, even if the demon was pretty capable of doing so— hell, he could destroy the entire galaxy if he wanted, even though that brought him no benefits whatsoever, which was probably why he hadn’t done it yet. A part of him believed he was being serious, but a small voice inside of him whispered the possibility of the eldritch not being serious at all. Once he was close enough, the doctor closed his eyes and allowed his inner omega to take over and proceed from there. He felt a familiar sensation fill his insides as a purr left his throat and escaped his lips.

With his eyes closed, he couldn’t see a thing, but he couldn’t hear the deafening sound of furniture being thrown around. Had it worked? Had it not worked? He needed to know. Still, he decided not to worry about it. He was worried his anxiety would alter the purr’s message and make Black Hat even more jittery, and that was something he definitely did not want. He could feel his entire body vibrating, and it was a relaxing feeling. He decided to focus on that. Focusing on his boss and his multiple possible reactions would only make him more nervous than he already was. Once he felt safe enough, the omega stopped purring and opened his eyes. Black Hat was staring at him in what could only be described as utter confusion instead of rage.

“Were you… purring?” he asked. His voice cracked at the end. Flug swallowed again. He really wanted to deny it and say it was probably the wind, but, at this point, his boss was asking the obvious.

“I… That’s what I was talking about before, the thing I did to calm you down,” he explained while looking downcast. He didn’t want to look at his boss in the eye while admitting this. “I-it was the only option I h-had left, sir. Y-you can’t just d-destroy the furniture when you f-feel angry.” Black Hat really needed some anger management classes, but for now the purring would have to do. Black Hat scowled as he stared at his employee. So _that_ was how Flug had calmed him down? With _purring_? He did know cats could do that, but he wasn’t aware that humans were capable of such a feat. Unless that was something only omegas could do. He would have to sneak on Flug’s lab to look at his notes in secret later on.

“So _that_ ’s what you did back there, huh?” He paused for a moment. So his scientist had the power to calm alphas down. What could he do with this? It wasn’t something very impressive, but it was definitely a start. If he managed to calm _him_ , destroyer of planets and galaxies, down, he could definitely calm other alphas down, especially heroes. Yes, that would do. “I would like you to research more about this… _method_. That would surely be _useful_ , doctor.” Suddenly the thought of Dr. Flug purring at an alpha other than him made his stomach swirl nauseatingly. He didn’t even know it was possible for him to feel something like this, something so _human_ , but the thought of _his_ omega doing something so personal with a stranger filled him with jealousy and he regretted ever suggesting something like this. God, was it even possible to feel jealous of the whole world? Still, researching about this was vital. No matter how much it pained him, if he could use it to his advantage, then he would.

“Sir, I— wait, really?”

“Of course,” Black Hat encouraged, trying his best not to show his jealousy in his voice. He did not need that. “But do not speak of this to anything else. If you do, I’ll rip your vocal chords out,” he casually threatened. Surely his scientist was already accustomed to his way of dealing with things. Flug swallowed and nodded. Once this was over, the two stared at each other for a while before the doctor spun on his heels and went back to the edge of the terrace, staring at the stars. A current of air made his hair fly and he breathed in the fresh air of the night. He would definitely have to go back to the dining room eventually, but for now he would enjoy his moment of freedom. Black Hat walked to his side. “What’s on your mind, doctor?” The other chuckled. There were too many things on his mind. He would have to choose one.

“I feel small,” he admitted, biting his lower lip. He’d been feeling like that for a while, but didn’t know how to put the feeling into words. “I’m the last male omega, but there are thousands of betas and alphas in that room. I feel… alone...” The only comfort he could find was that Eglantine was also there, and she was an omega as well, but that hardly did anything to comfort him. “And a part of me doesn’t want to admit Sjena’s right. I thought I could convince myself and everyone else that what he was saying wasn’t right. For me, it wasn’t, but I can no longer pretend to be blind to the truth that is right in front of me, so I’ll simply accept it and move on.” Black Hat scoffed.

“What is this ‘truth’ you speak of, doctor?” he asked. “I’m curious to know.”

“Everything,” Flug retorted. “The insults, the comebacks, the reprimands, they’re all true. If I just behaved like a normal omega, then maybe I’d have more of a chance at surviving.” He chuckled. “But I can’t even do something as simple as that. How pathetic, right?” A small part of him wanted his boss to disagree with him, but the majority of him knew he wouldn’t. Black Hat was aware of this ever since he found the truth out. Thankfully the eldritch seemed to be calmer, more level-headed, which meant the effects of the purring still hadn’t passed. Perhaps they would pass once they went back to the dining room.

“You’re a bloody idiot, Flug,” Black Hat suddenly spoke. Dr. Flug wanted to laugh. Finally something they could both agree with. “You’ve done more than those buffoons could ever dream of, more than is humanly possible, and yet you continuously insult yourself in the name of _acceptance_.” He gagged at that last word. It left a bad taste in his mouth for some reason. “You’re willing to give up on everything you’ve worked for simply to be accepted instead of living happily as an outcast. It _is_ fucking pathetic.” Both of them knew he was right, but the doctor decided not to give his boss the satisfaction of knowing he knew that. Still, he was happy the eldritch’s voice was calmer and he wasn’t screaming those words in his ear.

“Then I guess that’s something we can both agree on,” the scientist said. “I bet Atticus would agree on it too.” He realized way too late what he had done. Black Hat turned to his employee, curiosity getting the best of him, and Flug paled. Oh god, what had he done? How could he fix this before his boss inevitably raised hell?

“Who’s Atticus?” he asked, expecting— no, _demanding_ an honest answer.

“He’s…” Flug’s voice faltered. What could he do? Tell the truth and risk dooming the world or lie and risk dooming nobody but himself? Well, he had made a choice. “He’s an acquaintance.” It was as close to the truth as he could get. Black Hat narrowed his eye, staring at the doctor up and down for any signs of lying: averting eyes, closed posture, nervousness, but, surprisingly, he showed no signs whatsoever. Flug knew his boss always did this when searching for the truth, so he learned how to mask his own nervousness and act like he was being truthful. He was still by no means a perfect liar — far from it, in fact, he sucked —, but it was the best he could muster at the time. Still, it seemed like Black Hat hadn’t missed even one chance of catching him lying.

“ _You hesitated_ ,” he pointed out.

“I… don’t like talking about him,” Flug explained. This time, however, he was speaking the truth, and nothing but the truth.

“I see…” Black Hat hummed. “Do tell me more about him.”

The doctor chuckled. Why was he expecting his boss to be understanding of his feelings? That almost contradicted everything the demon stood up for. Still, he had to be careful as not to call Atticus ‘dad’. This wouldn’t be good. “Atticus is… complicated, I guess. He hates my omega status as much as my guts. He did… bad things, not just to be but to other people as well. He wasn’t the best role model for me growing up, but I guess he did help me realize the world wasn’t going to cater to my needs and act like I was special for being an omega. He installed a sense of reality within me at an early age. It does sound kind of strange now that I’m saying it…” He took a deep breath. For some reason, admitting those things out loud to his boss made him feel better. A huge weight left his shoulders and he felt more relieved, as if he were confessing his sins to a priest. So _that_ was why people went to psychologists. “Still, I’ve cut him out of my life and he’s no longer a bother to me, so I don’t really have anything to worry about.” As he said that, the scars in his face and back started to itch, reminding him of the damage Atticus left behind, and it made him angry. Thankfully his boss didn’t know who had caused those scars and dropped the subject pretty quickly when he first saw the doctor’s face.

But just as he thought that, Black Hat asked, “Was he the one who caused those scars, doctor?” The question floated in the air for a few seconds. Dr. Flug stilled as his mind raced, thousands of thoughts crossing it as they ran over each other. What should he do? What should he do? _What should he do_? “Answer wisely,” the eldritch advised, and Flug almost thought about being truthful.

 _Almost_.

“No.”

 _It’s too late,_ his mind told him. _You fucked up,_ it said, and it was absolutely right.

“Hm.” Black Hat spun on his heels. “Let’s go. We’ve wasted enough time.” Flug sighed in relief and nodded, accompanying his boss as they left the terrace and went back to the dining room in silence. Flug started humming a small tune and tried to be as quiet as possible as he did so, but he was happy and couldn’t hide it. Not only did he feel much lighter (mentally and physically) once he confessed everything to his boss, but he had also managed to calm the beast down and could confidently say that he wouldn’t try to murder people as soon as he got to the dining room unless provoked, which he doubted would happen. Still, he was a little worried about the possibility of Sjena stirring trouble. But should he let that alpha’s comments get to him? Should he act like everything he spoke was true or a threat? How would Black Hat react? Should he purr if the demon got worked up again? He had so many questions. The butterflies in his stomach were back. He still couldn’t understand how Black Hat knew where they were and how he was easily finding his way through that maze of hallways. Just thinking about it gave Flug a headache.

As they arrived at the dining room, the first thing Flug noticed was that it was awkwardly quiet there. Not a single soul dared open their mouth to proclaim their thoughts. There was silence, and only silence. It was almost uncanny. Flug slowly made his way to the middle seat, where he’d been sitting previously. Demencia was already there, munching quietly on her lukewarm piece of chicken. The scientist gave her a reassuring smile. She looked at him and smiled as well for half a second before her expression became one of boredom again. Black Hat took his place on the seat at Flug’s right. The doctor stared at his own food and realized he no longer had an appetite, so he resorted to playing with the food in order to distract the others. That, of course, did not go unnoticed by Sjena, and the hell they’d all gone through started all over again. “You should eat your food. You’re extremely malnourished.” Even if that was true, Flug took offense and looked at himself in self-consciousness. Did he look malnourished? He probably was underweight, yes, because he never ate regularly like a normal human being due to all of his deadlines and the pressure, besides the fact that eating wasted too much time that he could spend working. Oh god, he was a workaholic…

At the back of the room, someone heard Amadeus groan in defeat.

“He _is_ kind of thin,” someone whispered to a close friend, putting her hand in front of her mouth as if to prevent her words from escaping. But, because the dining room was extremely quiet, and because the person in question was not very good at whispering, everyone heard it, including Flug, who tried hard not to duck under the table and hide there forever.

“Look at those scars,” another one said aloud, apparently not bothered by the judging stares he was receiving. The omega shrank even more. It was like self-consciousness took a human form and slapped him in the face.

“Now, now, friends, you’re not seeing the obvious,” Sjena pointed out, staring directly at Flug. For the scientist, however, it felt like he was staring into his very soul, and that was worse. “The omega is clearly not being taken care of. We should call the Omega Cross and warn them about this.” Black Hat slammed both his hands on the table and everyone turned to him, almost forgetting his presence. He started radiating a negative aura around the table, and everyone had to avert their eyes in order to keep living. It was like Black Hat could suck their souls just by existing. Flug himself was glad that the eldritch decided to intervene after hours of not speaking anything previously, but he was also fearful of what could happen if he was pushed to his limit. That would definitely be bad, and he did not want to resort to having to purr to calm the demon down. He did _not_ want to have to do that.

“ **You will not do such thing,** ” Black Hat commanded, narrowing his eye. Sjena raised an eyebrow, apparently unbothered by the demon’s threatening aura.

“And why should I not? It’s for the omega’s own safety, after all,” he replied with a grin that Flug absolutely despised. Black Hat, however, did not back down.

“ **Oh? How interesting. I was almost sure for a second that omegas did not have free will and have become nothing but sex slaves for alphas. Your own ideals seem to enforce this societal pressure. But alas, I was wrong. I’m sure the Omega Cross will happily take Flug and send him to a prince charming that will take care of him lovingly. I’m pretty fucking sure he won’t be abused mentally and psychologically at all!** ”

Everyone held their breaths.

And then they looked at Sjena, waiting for a reply.

If Sjena had been shocked, his expression quickly went from surprised to neutral again. And then he laughed, as if that had been the funniest joke he’d heard all year. Flug raised an eyebrow, questioning that man’s sanity, if he did have any. Perhaps it was slowly slipping away. After he was done, Sjena’s grin widened sickeningly. “You sure love to bend other people’s jobs for your own gain, don’t you, Black Hat? The Omega Cross has helped hundreds of omegas throughout the years. Without them, those omegas would be dead. They’re helpless, my friend. They cannot work; they cannot learn; they cannot do a single helpful thing in their miserable, pathetic lives. Why do you compare them to us, alphas? You must not value your secondary gender enough if you do. _We’re superior_.” The room was so quiet you could hear a bacterium drop on the floor. Everyone stared at Sjena in absolute silence. Some gaped, others narrowed their eyes, but all of them seemed to have conflicting ideas. Some seemed to agree, while others thought his ideas were nefarious.

 _What should I do? What should I do?_ Flug asked himself, looking between Black Hat and Sjena. The former looked like he was going to explode, and the latter still had his smug grin on. Well, there was only one thing he could do. “That’s not true,” Flug said, suddenly finding enough courage to speak. “Omegas have as much potential as alphas and betas. If we didn’t, I wouldn’t have been Black Hat’s scientist. I wouldn’t have a career. I wouldn’t have goals and dreams and independence, but I do, because I hid from the world. I hid my secondary gender, but, as a beta, I had an opportunity to be who I wanted to be. Is this what we have to do to be accepted? Hide? Is this our only chance of being treated as equals? This isn’t right.” He took a deep breath. With each word, Sjena grew more and more frustrated. Flug turned to him. “And, if you really feel the need to be superior to a certain group of people, it seems like you’re compensating for something.” The others around them started giggling.

It seemed like he had pushed one of the alphas past his breaking point. “You’re dependent on us!” the stranger growled out, baring his sharp, tiger-like teeth menacingly, as if he could tear Dr. Flug apart at any second. The latter, however was less than impressed. Quite the contrary, in fact: he was _angry_.

“You _made us_ dependent on you,” he retorted, trying to keep his voice at a reasonable level. He knew that, if he got irrationally angry, he would lose the argument, and that was not the point he was trying to make. “It’s like breaking a dog’s legs and then wondering why it doesn’t walk.” He took another deep breath, trying to find a way to expand this idea. All eyes were on him. A few hours ago this would’ve been his worst nightmare, but now all he wanted was everyone’s attention and nothing else. He needed to let this out. “The… The weaker we get, the more you abuse us; play with our feelings; make us doubt our functionality; control our lives. And this makes us weaker and weaker. It’s a repetitive cycle. Only one side wins: the alphas. We, omegas, lose. You push us past our breaking point, and then blame us for doing exactly that: _breaking_.” The alpha stammered, realizing he was losing the argument.

“You’re a liar! We would never—”

“That’s what they all say,” Flug calmly interrupted. He watched, delighted, as the stranger slowly ran out of excuses. It would only take a few minutes before his arguments went from semi-rational to ad hominem. “‘We would never do this, we would never do that,’ you say, and we all know those are lies.” Suddenly all alphas looked uneasy. Sjena sneered.

“I understand your frustrations, omega. But you really shouldn’t say such things,” he said. “We all know how cloudy an omega’s arguments can be. You’re easily influenced and impressed, after all.” Flug was ready to retort — because he’d never heard such a biased argument — before someone spoke first.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough, you all,” somebody said from the back of the room. All eyes landed on Eglantine. “Listen, man, I don’t care about your fetishes and stuff. Nobody does. So just shut up, take your dildo out of your ass, and relax. It’s _that_ simple, okay? Can you do that for me? Good boy.” Sjena stared at her with a neutral expression, unimpressed. Eglantine pressed her hands together, which caused a loud sound that echoed throughout the room, and smiled. “Now, I think we’re done with this dinner! Let’s all go to the ballroom before you give my husband a stroke.” Amadeus silently thanked his wife and her lack of tact. Flug exchanged glances with Demencia as people started whispering amongst themselves again. Nonetheless, they stood up and started leaving the dining room. Flug was about to follow before someone touched his shoulder. He was expecting Black Hat to have been the person who did it, but it turned out to be Eglantine again. “Come with me,” she whispered. Dr. Flug looked at Black Hat and Demencia for a second, and then back at Eglantine.

“I can’t ditch them,” he whispered back. “Black Hat would freak.”

“Your sister can come too,” Eglantine explained. “But the demon has to stay.” Black Hat had heard the whole conversation, no matter how secretive Eglantine tried to be. And yet he did not feel threatened by her like he’d feel threatened by an alpha’s presence. Why was that? He felt almost… _safe_ with her presence. What a weird feeling. Still, he had to be careful. He approached the woman and almost put a finger on her chest, but something prevented him from doing so.

“If you do anything to him—”

“You’ll rip my guts out. Yes, I know the drill, now come on, you two!” Demencia giggled and eagerly followed Eglantine as she dragged Flug around like a ragdoll. She ran to the opposite side of the room instead of the entrance, where a different door awaited them. Flug turned to Black Hat, who hesitantly left the room, closing the door behind him. They went through another set of maze-hallways before Eglantine stopped in the room they once were, the one where they drank wine and talked their feelings out. She opened the door and, once again, dragged Dr. Flug inside while Demencia followed cheerfully. Those two seemed way too happy about this. “Now sit there while I grab the kit,” she said whilst walking towards the cupboards. The scientist slowly made his way to the table they’d sat on before, and pulled out one of the chairs before sitting on it. Wait… did she say ‘kit’?

“Kit? What kit?” Flug asked, almost afraid of the answer. “Why did you drag me here?” And yet he received no response. Demencia peeked at the kit Eglantine was talking about and a smirk crossed her features. The doctor almost freaked out once he spotted her grin. Those two were definitely plotting something against him. “Uh…” Eglantine grabbed the large kit she pulled out of the cupboards and made her way to where he was sitting. That was definitely not the first aid kit she’d once used to help with his nosebleed. So what was it?

“You know what this means, right?” Eglantine asked Demencia, who nodded as she made her way to the table.

“You two are scaring me,” Flug told the two.

“Good,” Eglantine told him with a wide grin as she took her time in opening the kit. “You should be scared.” Flug stared at the semi-open kit on the table quizzically, almost scared of his fate. What were those two planning on doing with him? Could he even stop them? Eglantine and Demencia sure made a good, if not scary, team. “Worry not, child, I shall not hurt thou.” _Well, that’s reassuring,_ Flug thought sarcastically as Demencia grabbed his ponytail, causing the doctor to yelp in surprise, and pulled the hair tie out, twirling it in her fingers with a grin. The temperature in the room seemed to drop drastically once Flug realized what was happening. “So, Flug, are you ready for a makeover?” Oh god, why had he agreed on this?

“I don’t…” _I don’t understand what the hell is happening_ , he completed mentally.

Eglantine chuckled at his hesitation, as if that amused her deeply (and perhaps it did). “Don’t worry, son, soon you’ll be the prettiest lady at the dancefloor,” she commented jokingly with a wink. Flug rolled his eyes and decided to ignore the word ‘son’. Not only had he been called that countless times by old people (not that Eglantine was old, of course; on the contrary: she seemed to be in her mid-twenties), but his young, teen-like appearance made him look even younger. She grabbed a make-up kit and put it aside. “Now, I need you to close your eyes for a moment. Demencia, dear, can you work on his hair?” Demencia working on _his hair_? Oh no. Despite never taking care or even seeing his hair, Flug still loved it as it was. He never had time to cut it, or even take proper care of it, but he _did not_ want to be bald. He heard the she-devil giggle from behind him.

“Aye, aye, sir!” she answered, tugging at his hair. Flug yelped once again.

“Be careful!” he scolded, lamenting the loss of a few white-colored strands of hair that Demencia managed to pull out carelessly and painfully. She only giggled in response. At this point he knew he would definitely end up bald. Eglantine casually took off his mask and put it aside as she grabbed a foundation brush and started spreading some foundation through his face, trying her best to conceal the scars and imperfections. Meanwhile, Demencia was either fixing or messing up his hair— he didn’t know at this point. This had gone on for a while. Both the girls talked to him, but he was too distracted to talk back. He couldn’t help but think about the things Sjena said, and wonder how true they were. Was he right? Was he, Flug Slys, a helpless mess? It couldn’t be. He’d only been able to rely on himself for two years while being homeless. Why would he be helpless? If he was, then he was really damn good at hiding it. Perhaps Sjena felt helpless and was projecting? No, that couldn’t be it. The villain oozed confidence not even Black Hat had. He couldn’t be projecting. Perhaps he was trying to annoy him and pretend that what he was saying was the truth…?

“Oi! Are you listening?” Eglantine inquired. Flug snapped out of his trance.

“Ah, sorry, I think I spaced out a little bit…” the scientist replied.

“Come on, bro, don’t be a party pooper,” Demencia piped in. “We were talking about all of the guys we’re going to dance with! I’m totally dancing with Sjena—” Flug’s heart stopped beating for a moment, “—so I can step on his toes!” The omega allowed himself to breathe once again, and then he chuckled. He definitely wanted to see that, especially since Demencia was known for her strength and she’d definitely break a few bones if she did that. Eglantine huffed in response to that as she pulled the brush away and started to browse through her kit, trying to find the right one for her next act.

“I don’t like that guy,” she said begrudgingly. “And I’m not saying that only because I’m an omega myself.” Demencia gasped.

“You’re one too?” she questioned in awe, and almost pulled on Flug’s hair to get his attention. “Bro, we found another omega!” The doctor grunted at the pressure in his head, though he knew Demencia didn’t mean it. If he didn’t already know Eglantine was an omega, he would’ve been as surprised as her, and besides, her shock was expected. There weren’t many omegas around, and after that night, she learned that. “Wait, aren’t they extinct?” Eglantine shook her head.

“Only the males are,” she answered. “And I’m pretty sure I’m a female.” She then eyed Dr. Flug. “Besides, I wouldn’t say they’re exactly _extinct_. We still have Flug here, and he’s a _male_ omega, unless he’s hiding something from us, of course.” The scientist felt Demencia’s nails prick at his scalp, and he couldn’t prevent the yelp that formed in his throat from escaping.

“Sorry, bro.” Demencia’s apology was followed by a giggle. She was definitely enjoying this.

“You’re doing this on purpose.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not.”

She giggled. The sound almost made Flug snap, but he didn’t. Demencia was currently holding his hair, and he didn’t want to risk it. She knew he was useless against him. She _knew it_. Damn her, how could she have done this? Still, Flug wasn’t going to lose this petty verbal fight.

“ _Are too_ —”

“Ladies, ladies, you’re both pretty. Now let’s stop this fight.” Flug blushed in embarrassment. How had he lost his cool like that? God, Demencia and Amadeus were right, he really _was_ a child. “Still, I’m sure Flug can seduce a few alphas around here.” The doctor in question almost choked on his own saliva as realization dawned on him. How could she dare suggest this? And besides, Black Hat was there. He would definitely kill all of those alphas and then lock him away forever, and that was without a doubt not what he wanted. Things wouldn’t go well for either of them if he decided to suddenly dance with some stranger, and it’s not like he would do that anyway. He was already a stuttering mess with the ones he knew, like Black Hat — even though anyone would be a stuttering mess if they stood in front of Black Hat —, how would he act if he interacted with a random alpha? This would be so embarrassing.

“ _What_?”

“You could use your cuteness or your sexiness. It depends on your mood, honestly.” Eglantine winked, and he resisted the urge to laugh. What did she mean by that? He was neither cute nor sexy.

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Don’t knock it until you tried it, bro,” Demencia sang from behind him with a mischievous grin. She was clearly enjoying his suffering. He felt her tug lightly on his hair. Unlike the other times, however, this tug didn’t hurt at all. “Besides, you could probably dance with Sjena too. Don’t worry, I’ll share him.” And, just like Eglantine, she winked. That statement gave Flug shivers and his stomach swirled with disgust. The image of him happily dancing with Sjena would be forever burned in the back of his mind. _Thanks, Dem_ , he thought bitterly, biting his lower lip to prevent the thoughts from resurfacing.

“Never,” he decided.

“Ever,” Demencia responded back. “Maybe you two could even kiss.” She made some kissing noises. Flug gagged.

“Black Hat would kill you if he were here right now.”

“But he’s not, so I can still torture you.” She grinned. _Touché_.

“I hate you.”

“Love you too, little bro.”

“Well, now that you two have declared your love for each other, let’s change the conversation,” Eglantine suggested as she picked a third brush and some more make-up. “What’s the deal with your boss? He seems very _agitated_.” Flug sighed. ‘Agitated’ was a nice word, but not exactly how he’d describe his boss. This would either take a few minutes or an hour to explain. The former seemed like a better idea.

“He, uh, just recently found out I’m an omega. I think that’s why he’s so, um… protective.” ‘Possessive’ seemed like a better word for it, though. “He’s managing to not discriminate me… too much, at least.”

_Such a liar._

“Well, if you say so…” Eglantine grinned as she looked at her newest work of art. “There, I’m done! What do you think?” She put the brush aside and grabbed a small mirror, handing it to Flug so he could analyze the damage. And when he did so, he chuckled.

“You managed to make me look whiter than I am. That’s an accomplishment.”

“It’s not my fault you’re an egg.”

“What kind of comparison is that…?”

“Just accept you’re an egg and move on.” Eglantine waved her hand dismissively. Her eyes suddenly perked up as she had an idea. “Hey, why don’t you try using your omega charm on Black Hat?” Dr. Flug’s eyes widened. God, he had tried that before when he purred, and it had gone… not bad, but not good either. How could he describe the situation? Still, him using his so-called ‘omega charm’ on Black Hat… Would that go well for him? And what should he do? How does the omega charm work? He had so many questions. “You know, kid, us omegas are, uh, _magic_. Or at least that’s what they say. We can live longer, our health is better, we can still look young despite being very old, and we all have our damned charm. They say omegas are the most beautiful secondary gender, and you know what? They’re absolutely _right_. Most omegas could be models if they weren’t locked away like cattle.” The doctor hummed, considering this. “You yourself could definitely be a model if you tried. I’ve never seen an albino omega before.”

“It’s not really impressive,” Flug murmured. As a child he had always wondered why he was the only albino child in his class, and then later he discovered that albinism was a rare condition instead of a common hair color. Many of his classmates called him ‘snowflake’ and he hated it.

“I’m done!” Demencia sang. Thankfully Flug was already holding the mirror so he quickly checked his hair to see the damage that had been done. Demencia had pulled his hair tie, which meant his hair now stood in its full length next to his shoulder blades. She had also pulled some of his hair and done two braids that collided at the end of his head and ended with a small ponytail. “Do you like it? I got the idea from Yuri on Ice! Oh! We have to watch it together! Chris’s ass is amazing!” Did she really get this idea from an anime? That was impressive. Still, it looked… _good_.

“It’s… not bad, surprisingly,” he admitted. “I look like a girl, though.”

“A pretty girl,” Demencia replied quickly.

“Yeah, sure…”

“Well, now that we’re all done, I’m sure the others are waiting for us,” Eglantine said as she stood up. Before the others did so as well, she suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, wait! I forgot something!” Flug was expecting her to head towards the cabinets again, which was where she kept her things, but instead of doing that she pulled out her necklace and handed it to him. “I want you to keep this.” Flug stared at the necklace in his hands helplessly. It was bathed in silver and had a rose at the end. After a few seconds, he snapped out of his trance and looked at Eglantine, handing her the necklace back.

“I can’t accept this.”

“Shush, I’m giving it to you. Keep it.” Eglantine grinned. “You know what? I have a better idea.” She walked around him and put the necklace on his head, making Flug wonder what the heck she was planning. After some fidgeting, she clapped her hands in pride. “There, I’m done!” Flug stared at his reflection in the mirror for a long time — or maybe it wasn’t that long; hell if he knew —, perhaps hoping that it would reach out for him to reassure him that everything would be just fine, and even then he wouldn’t be convinced. His head swirled with multiple thoughts, each one screaming for attention and love. He couldn’t focus on one. Everything spun and hurt, like he suddenly because allergic to oxygen. “Are you okay there, kid? You don’t look so good,” Eglantine stated, concerned plastered on her face. Flug blinked, processing her question, and then he blinked again, hoping that the answer would miraculously come to him, but it didn’t, and he hated it.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine, just…” He inhaled sharply, trying to come up with a good excuse. “I just have a headache, that’s all.” It sounded believable enough. “Demencia probably pulled my brain out.” The hybrid in question giggled for the third time that hour.

“Knowing you, it’s probably going to grow back, bro,” she responded with a smirk. “Besides, you got enough brains to share!” The doctor didn’t answer. He only nodded. “Come on, let’s go downstairs! I want to step on Sjena’s foot soon!” she exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement which only manifested itself in a mischievous grin. Eglantine smiled as she closed her make-up kit and put it back on the cupboards, taking her time. Demencia couldn’t handle waiting. Dr. Flug, on the other hand, was more than glad. He didn’t know if he was ready to go downstairs yet. He would have to face all of those alphas and Black Hat… and Sjena. Words could not describe the feeling of dread that settled inside his gut. He had only recently started feeling like this. It was like his stomach started producing ice shards that pricked and cut his insides. He remembered Sjena’s words despite his brain’s protests to forget them. He remembered all of his points word by word and he couldn’t think of anything else. It was pure, unadulterated torture. It was as if his body, his _inner omega_ , was begging him to reconsider his arguments and maybe eventually come to accept them. Well, he would _never_ do that. One of Flug’s main characteristics was his stubbornness, and he simply refused to be seen as inferior. No matter what, he would fight for his right to be equal to the alphas and betas. He was neither superior nor inferior. He was _equal_.

“Okay, we’re ready!” Eglantine said, bringing her hands together happily.

“Finally,” Demencia groaned, as if the older omega had taken an hour to clean up. She grabbed Flug’s arm and pulled him up, and he yelped at the abrupt movement. Knowing what she was about to do, he grabbed his mask and let it latch onto his face. “Let’s go, let’s go!” she yelled like a child on Christmas morning. Without waiting for Eglantine, who didn’t really mind, she kicked the door open and ran towards the ballroom, dragging her brother behind like a ragdoll. Flug was almost unable to keep up, for he kept tripping over his own feet and losing his balance. Perhaps he did keep up out of pure luck. How ironic; maybe he had now wasted a month’s supply. Once the hybrid slowed down her pace, he allowed himself to breathe. “Hey, do you think…” she stopped herself, forcing the doctor to wonder what she was trying to ask him. It was like the temperature in the room suddenly dropped. “Never mind…” Flug raised an eyebrow. Her sudden change of demeanor was off-putting. Eglantine finally caught up with them.

“You two are fast,” she stated, taking a deep breath. “Come on, you two, let’s go.”

**_.  .  ._ **

“Holy shit!”

“A male omega!”

“Do you guys know what this means?!”

Instead of going to the ballroom like the rest of the villains, the heroes of the OHC went somewhere quiet and isolated so they could talk properly. They hadn’t had the chance to discuss their current situation yet, but now they could speak freely, and there was only one subject they wanted to speak about: the male omega. “I didn’t think we’d find any useful information today,” Amaranthos spoke calmly. He was the only one who wasn’t freaking out about their current predicament. “I guess we got lucky.” They really had gotten lucky. So far, they didn’t have anything useful for the OHC except for Dr. Flug’s secondary gender, but that information was already worth their sacrifice. “But there’s a problem.” The other heroes eyed each other. They already knew what it was. They were talking about Flug Slys. Not only was he Black Hat’s only scientist and source of income, but he was also an omega who apparently had to be handled with kid gloves. How would they be able to save him if he was under the eldritch’s constant watch? Besides, they had seen how Black Hat was acting. He seemed very protective of his scientist, and he was known for being able to kill one human or ten in a heartbeat.

“What’s the plan?” Daredevil asked Fistfight, expecting him to already have all of the answers, but he didn’t, and that was the problem. The commander stopped for a second, considering all of his options, and then he proceeded.

“For now, nothing,” he responded. “We’ll reunite at the HQ tomorrow and speak to the others about this. Then we’ll check out options and proceed from there.”

“That’s going to take way too long!” Thunder complained. Everyone else stifled a groan of agreement, knowing they couldn’t let that man know he was right. “What if that demon’s abusing that poor omega?” Phantom shook his head. He might have been the newbie, but he could be the voice of reason, being an omega himself. Not that the others would know what he was, of course. Thunder continued, “What if he _kills_ the last male omega ever? Have you all considered that?!”

“I doubt he will,” Phantom intervened. “He wouldn’t protect Dr. Flug just to end up killing him, would he?”

“Hell if I know,” Daredevil scoffed. “He’s a careless monster. I wouldn’t be surprised if he killed the omega by accident.”

“Phantom’s right,” Fistfight argued. “There’s no point in defending someone you’re going to kill. The chances of him killing the omega are low. He obviously wants him alive, and so do we, which is why we won’t do anything for now. I will decide out next move tomorrow, and this is final.” They all eyed each other and nodded. They knew they had to save the omega, but not now.

They would wait.

**_.  .  ._ **

Walking down the stairs had never been so stressful.

Flug swallowed as soon as he reached them. The lights of the ballroom assaulted his sensitive eyes, making him wince in pain. Down below stood the other villains, some were talking to each other while the rest either snacked or danced. He swallowed again, and his saliva had never felt so dry and salty before. It almost made him feel sick. That was when the first villain noticed him, and then another, and in the blink of an eye the whole ballroom’s eyes were on him. His legs felt like they could give out at any moment. Then the whispers started, and despite not being able to understand a single word, they pricked his ears, increasing his nervousness. Eglantine nudged him in encouragement, and he decided that the sooner he went downstairs the better. No words were exchanged between the three of them, just glances that held a meaning behind them. Flug slowly walked down the stairs, sweating from all of the stares he was receiving. It was understandable. He was different, after all. And yet he hated all of the attention he was getting. It made his stomach turn with pure nervousness.

Why were they still staring? Was there something in his hair? Oh god, what did Demencia put in there? If she did something he would kill her. _I’m reaching the bottom of the stairs and I haven’t tripped yet. How lucky,_ he thought, and apparently jinxed himself with that thought, because he ended up tripping on the last step and falling over a random alpha that luckily prevented the two of them from falling right into the ground.

Crap.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean—”

“It’s ok, really,” the stranger replied, keeping his distance. His fear of approaching the omega was understandable for multiple reasons, but mainly for the fact that Black Hat was watching, and he wasn’t liking it one bit. His eye narrowed as he stared at the stranger like he had committed the worst of sins. And perhaps he had in the demon’s mind. It was impossible to know what exactly Black Hat was thinking. The demon didn’t even notice when his scientist approached him with careful steps. He definitely did not want to bump into another random stranger again. God, that was so embarrassing. How could one human be so unlucky? It was almost surreal.

“Hello, sir,” he said with a small smile, looking for Demencia and Eglantine. The hybrid was talking to the man he had bumped into, and the two seemed to be having fun. Meawhile, the older omega was happily dancing with her husband in the middle of the ballroom. Like Demencia, she seemed to be having fun. He turned to Black Hat again when the eldritch scoffed and crossed his arms, narrowing his eye in disapproval. This caused Flug to tense. He had seen that expression before, and it was never good. Black Hat’s disapproval was never good.

“Why did you do that?”

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir.”

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Black Hat grabbed his arm and pulled him, pressing him against the wall he had been previously leaning against. Flug yelped at the sudden action, fearing for his life. He knew the eldritch wouldn’t hurt him — not with everyone watching the two of them, and because he wouldn’t dare hurt someone he was trying so hard to protect —, but he was so used to being harmed before coming out as an omega that fearing for his mind and body had become an habit. “You tripped on purpose, didn’t you? Are you trying to test me, doctor?” Flug’s heart flat-lined. He had definitely _not_ tripped on purpose. What would that even accomplish? He wasn’t the type to try and make people jealous, and his boss knew that. But something told Dr. Flug this wasn’t Black Hat asking, but rather his inner alpha.

“I’d never do something like that, sir, I promise!” he stated bravely, managing not to stutter at all. It had been impressive. His boss’s grip on his arm tightened, making him inhale sharply. “ _Trust me, alpha_.”

Black Hat suddenly let go.

Flug allowed himself to breathe for a second. He couldn’t believe that had worked. After experiencing being called ‘omega’ for the first time ever, he finally understood just how powerful those words were. He would have to use them carefully, especially on Black Hat, and mainly because he didn’t want to abuse of his small powers (and influence) over his boss, and he did not want to end up being alpha commanded again. He had, once again, just experienced it for the first time and it had been the most agonizing experience of his whole life. He had never felt so hopeless and trapped before. It was like being a stranger in his own body, incapable of anything but watching everything unfold right before his very eyes, leaving his body at the mercy of strangers. The fact that it could happen so easily was horrifying and made Flug want to hide forever. But apparently he could snap out of the alpha command, or so it seemed. That sure helped a lot, and was one less thing he had to worry about. Black Hat shivered as he scolded, “Do not call me that!” The doctor hastily nodded.

“Y-yes, sir.”

The eldritch huffed and looked at the couples dancing in the middle of the room before he had an idea, turning to his employee with a sly smirk. “Tell me, doctor: do you know how to dance?”

“I…”

He paused and considered the question for a second.

“I think so…”

“Good.”

And then Black Hat pulled him to the middle of the room.

Flug’s face grew red as the stares returned, making him flush and shiver. If he wasn’t embarrassed before, when he tripped and fell on someone, he sure was now. Was his boss really going to make him dance in front of all of these people against his will? He couldn’t find it in him to be surprised. As expected, Black Hat took the role of the lead, leaving Flug with the role of the follow. The music in the background was slow and soft, and there were a few other couples dancing as well, including Eglantine and Amadeus, which made things more bearable, but he was still really embarrassed and timid. The eldritch placed one his hands on his doctor’s waist, and, in return, Flug placed one of his hands on his boss’s shoulder. They placed their free hands together, intertwining their fingers. Black Hat started slowly, surely doubting Flug’s ability to dance (it was understandable; his own answer was very vague). The omega knew he could speed up and he’d still be able to keep up, but he suspected that the demon himself didn’t know that. When the music sped up, so did Black Hat’s pace, and the doctor was glad. He was never a fan of slow dancing. Suddenly everything became more bearable once he felt like he wasn’t being stared at anymore.

“You look different, doctor,” Black Hat pointed out. So he had noticed, after all.

“I guess…” Flug tried his best to keep up and not trip on Black Hat’s shoes… or his own. “Demencia was the one who did my hair. She’s really talented.” The eldritch scoffed, as if that phrase had personally offended him. Perhaps it had. No one would ever know.

“At least she’s useful for something. Killing her might not have been the best idea, after all,” he admitted, and Flug never thought he’d hear something like that. Black Hat was admitting his own error due to clouded judgement? Was this real life? “I’ve never seen you with your hair like that. It’s… okay.” That sounded like a compliment. Flug was shocked but flattered.

“Thank you.” He smiled genuinely. He never thought he would do something like that in front of his terrifying alpha boss, but the universe just kept surprising him.

If Black Hat had a heart, it would’ve stopped beating by now. Flug’s smile was beautiful. It was perhaps the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Such a marvelous thing should not be legal. He wished he had seen it sooner. It was much more satisfying than screams of terror and glances of fear, and, worst of all, it was incredibly addictive. Thankfully, Flug kept smiling, or the eldritch would have to force him to. But a sudden wave of possessiveness washed over him, and Black Hat wanted that smile all to himself. He refused to share his precious omega and his smile with the world. It didn’t matter if said smile could cure cancer and revive the dead (and it’s not like it would stop him; he was a bloody villain). It was his and his only. “We’re going home,” he hastily decided. Flug’s eyes lit up as he was hit by a wave of surprise.

“Really?” He sounded hopeful, as if he wanted to escape that place more than anything else. “I-I mean, of course…” He was too surprised to answer properly. The ball lasted four hours and they still had two hours left. Why did Black Hat suddenly want to leave? What reason did he have to not stay?

“I’ll go get my staff.” And the two of them parted ways. That reminded Flug that Black Had had brought a staff with him and left it upstairs when he left the room he and Amadeus were in. Dr. Flug wondered why he couldn’t just make it appear out of thin air like he’d done with the masks, but he figured that the eldritch simply forgot he could do that. Could demons forget things? Hell, he didn’t know. He walked up to the Demencia and told her what was going on. She nodded and presented him to her new friend, Ember. He was a new but very successful villain with fire powers which he was still learning how to control. While they talked he accidentally set a marshmallow on fire. Flug was more than glad that the man didn’t set _him_ on fire when he almost fell on top of him. They waited and waited for Black Hat, but ten minutes passed and nothing. Flug was tapping his foot on the ground impatiently while Demencia shoved a marshmallow in her mouth. Ember did the same. The doctor considered doing it, but he didn’t want to stress-eat, he just wanted to go home quickly.

“Where do you think Black Hat is? He still hasn’t shown up,” Flug said as he looked around, hoping to find his boss talking to someone or walking down the stairs.

He was left disappointed.

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Demencia said as she shoved a second marshmallow down her throat along with some wine. “Just eat some marshmallows, bro. You’ll feel better.” While she grabbed a third marshmallow, Flug had an idea. Black Hat never told him to stay still while he waited. He could search for him.

“I’ll be right back.”

Without waiting for an answer, he dashed towards the stairs and the maze of hallways ahead.

**_.  .  ._ **

He was lost.

Flug had probably lost himself during the third turn. He _knew_ he should have turned left instead of right. “Dammit…” he murmured, narrowing his eyes. He could barely see a thing because of the dim lights. Should he go left or right now? The left corridor’s lights were working, while the corridor on the right was bathed in utter darkness. Well, he knew what to do. Without hesitating, he turned left.

That was when he saw smoke.

Wait, _smoke_? God, had Ember set something on fire again? His heart started beating faster when he saw the smoke moving towards him. Nope. That was not smoke, was it? Smoke couldn’t do this. Or at least he had never seen regular smoke do something like this. It was terrifying. He took a step back, hesitant to continue in case the smoke attacked him, but, unexpectedly, the smoke slowly shapeshifted into a man. Not just any man, however; no, that would be too easy. The smoke became no one other than Sjena himself. Flug froze in place. He could practically hear the universe laughing at him, mocking him from afar. He didn’t know what to do. It was too late to do anything — run or hide, for example —, so he just pressed himself against the wall and waited. That was when Sjena spotted him.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

It was way too late, wasn’t it? Could he run? Could he hide? He could try, couldn’t he? But Sjena seemed to have read his mind, because, as soon as his legs started moving, an alpha command escaped his lips. “I command you to stay still.” And he did, because he had no choice and his body was idiotic. It was, once again, the single most agonizing feeling of his life. He didn’t like it one single bit, being stuck in a body he couldn’t control. He couldn’t do anything about it. He couldn’t snap out of it no matter how much he wanted to, and that was the worst part. Sjena placed a hand on his heart, watching Flug carefully. “I’m hurt, doctor, I really am! How could you run from me?” he said dramatically, mockery filling his voice tone. “At least we have the alpha commands, don’t we? They sure are useful!” He grinned and Flug paled. That was it. He was at Sjena’s mercy.

“Now, doctor, let’s have some fun, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, Black Hat's gonna love this
> 
> Tell me in the comments what you think is going to happen, I want to hear your thoughts! And man, isn't Flug just the luckiest guy around? He surely hasn't been alpha commanded enough. Send him your thoughts and prayers. 
> 
> This is going to be one hell of a ride.


	14. Bad End Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything goes to shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear viewers! Mahkachan here with a brand new chapter!
> 
> I just wanted to apologize for taking so long. I stopped writing due to my mental health. However, I am back on track and it's 4 am right now. I'm pumped for this. So, if you have any idea of what happens next, let me know in the comments. I swear, your comments bring me so much joy and motivate me to continue writing this amazing fanfic. I also apologize if it's a little rushed or short, it's only 8.000 words long, and I wanted to do 10.000, but I feel like this chapter is good either way. I might edit it later if I'm displeased with a few things here and there.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Life is full of surprises.

Some surprises are naturally better than others. For example, a surprise party is better than being trapped by an asshole with no chance of escape in the middle of a dimly-lit corridor. One of those two was Flug’s current situation, and he wasn’t liking it one bit. On the contrary, in fact, he was scared, and rightfully so. What would Sjena do to him? He knew the possibilities, each one worse than the last, but he didn’t know exactly _what_ was going to happen. The multiple scenarios went through his mind, making him shiver. He had no option but to acknowledge that each one of them was possible. A hurricane of negative emotions filled him. Sjena’s smirk grew impossibly wider, and it made the omega want to punch him even more. God, if only he could move… “I would love to claim you,” he suddenly spoke, making Flug shiver once again. Oh no, not again. This couldn’t be happening, could it? This had to be a dream. He wished he was still at home, building machines for Black Hat while fueling himself with caffeine and hopes of being accepted for who he was. But he wasn’t at home. He was at the ball, being threatened by an insufferable idiot, and that was worse than not sleeping for two days. “But I think I’ll leave it for last,” he decided. _How considerate of you,_ Flug thought sarcastically. He watched Sjena’s every move, hoping to find a pattern to determine his next action, but he found nothing.

He was trapped.

His breath hitched when Sjena moved towards him, leaning closer and closer, and he said, “I have a better idea.” Flug scowled. What could be worse than this? What could be worse than being claimed by an asshole against his will?

And then Sjena kissed him.

Oh.

_Oh._

Flug held his breath. Sjena both smelled and tasted like wine, perhaps because that’s what he had drank during the dinner. Flug tried to close his mouth, tried not to kiss him back, tried to make as little contact as possible, but the alpha forcefully opened his mouth and shoved his tongue inside the other’s mouth. The doctor gagged. It was disgusting. That man… That man had just stolen his first kiss. It was supposed to be special, he was supposed to kiss someone he loved for the first time ever, but it would now always be a traumatic incident for him, a reminder that he wasn’t strong enough to avoid all of this. Was it worse than being claimed? Of course not, but it was still pretty bad. He felt like he could never kiss anyone ever again. He took a deep breath when Sjena pulled back, already giving up on everything. He did not try to fight back. He couldn’t. “Ah, I must admit you have a fine taste.” That wasn’t very reassuring. It made him feel even more disgusted and violated. He did not want Sjena to know how he tasted like. But he did and that was his own fault. If he had waited for Black Hat, this wouldn’t have happened.

… Where was Black Hat?

He would kill this guy. There was no doubt about it. Black Hat was a powerful creature. He could obliterate the entire solar system in seconds. So why wouldn’t he kill Sjena in mere milliseconds? He was very, very possessive of Flug, having obviously decided to claim the doctor as _his_ omega, and only his. If he found out that Sjena forcibly kissed his precious, innocent omega, and alpha commanded him, he would kill the first person in front of him without hesitating. And he was not exaggerating, because that’s what would likely happen. Black Hat was scary.

“Ah, you’re not getting bored, are you?” Sjena suddenly questioned. “I would hate for you to miss out on the fun!”

“F-fuck you!” he accidentally let out, and the realization made his stomach swirl. Oh, so he still could talk. That was nice.

Sjena snickered, as if he had been expecting this. Perhaps he had, but Flug would never know. “I guess I didn’t order the omega to stay quiet, now did I?” he asked to no one in particular. Maybe he asked himself. “Well, that should be interesting… Tell me: who do you belong to?” Was he being serious right now? He couldn’t be serious. This had to be a very bad joke and they both should be laughing at it. But judging by his stare and his stance, Flug figured he was being completely serious. Was he planning on making him admit he belonged to him like a mere toy he could discard whenever he wanted? Was _this_ his big plan? Sjena did say he wanted to claim him, after all, but decided to leave it for later. For now, he was enjoying to toy with his newfound prey. And that sucked, because Flug did not want anyone to play with his life and freedom. Any threat to those two would not be accepted.

“No one,” he answered. “ _I belong to no one_.”

“Not yet, you mean… But I appreciate your boldness,” he retorted condescendingly, leaning closer to the omega with a victorious grin. All Flug wanted was to wipe said grin off his face in the most painful way possible. “You see, I was very surprised to find out you were unmated. I thought your boss would have taken advantage of this opportunity to claim you and be the only villain in the entire world bonded to a male omega, but I guess he’s too soft for that.” Flug scoffed. Has that man just insulted Black Hat, someone who could destroy him in seconds? Was he really that stupid? “But, you see, your boss’s error became my chance. Do you know how famous I will be for being bonded to the last male omega alive? It’s a chance in a million.”

“Black Hat’s not _soft_.” Thousands of scars scattered across his body (alongside mental scars) proved that fact. “He actually respects my choice of wanting to choose my mate…” He scowled, staring at Sjena dead in the eye. “…unlike _you_.” The alpha shook his head, as if the concept was too foreign for him. And it was.

“You don’t understand, do you? Omegas don’t have good judgement when it comes to such complex situations. They’re simple-minded. That’s why the Omega Cross intervenes when an omega presents. Most of them present at a young age and, mixing their simple-mindedness with teenage hormones, it creates the most chaotic combination. You don’t understand what we’re doing for you. We’re doing you a favor. We’re saving you. You _need_ us.” Flug had never heard such bullshit in his entire life. ‘Simple-minded’? Was Sjena calling him, Flug Slys, the scientist of the Black Hat Organization, _dumb_? He couldn’t wrap his head around something like this. He simply couldn’t. Flug was ready to retort, but Sjena was faster. “I know how passionate you are about omegas’ rights, and I must admit I’m touched by your fervor, but let’s be real for a second: omegas will _never_ be equal to alphas.” The scientist’s heart sank. He was lying. If they kept pushing, omegas would eventually be accepted as equal… right? He couldn’t give up now, not when he already conquered so much in his life. He had a decent education and a great job, something that many alphas didn’t have, and he also had something he held dear: his _freedom_. That was the most important thing in his life, and he would rather die than have it taken away from him. “Now where was I? Ah, I remember now.” Sjena then nuzzled his neck, reminding Flug that his freedom was at stake. He could undo the bond mark, of course, but would Sjena ever let him?

“I command you to be quiet,” he ordered. So now he could neither escape nor protest. He could just watch as his life collapsed in front of his eyes. Instead of claiming him on the spot, the alpha allowed his fingers to trace Flug’s pale skin softly, almost mockingly, and the latter never felt so violated in his life. He was pretty tall — a trait he inherited from his father —, but Sjena managed to be even taller, and that intimidated him, even though it shouldn’t have. The alpha pressed their hips together and the friction made the other tense. There was something in his eyes, a strange glimmer of pure lust. He quickly realized what was happening and almost had an anxiety attack.

Sjena was going to rape him.

His heart sped up almost immediately. No, no, no, no, no, **_no_** … This couldn’t be happening. He started to hyperventilate. There was a swirl of emotions taking over his brain, something he couldn’t comprehend or control. He could only watch as Sjena lowered his hands and gripped his hips tightly, almost painfully, and pressed their bodies together. It was an agonizing process. His chest was getting tighter and tighter and everything spun, black spots dancing across his vision from the lack of oxygen in his brain and body. He didn’t want to watch this, but somehow his brain forced him to. It was almost as if his mind wanted him to suffer, like it was payback for everything he’d done wrong. What if it was? Or maybe not... He was known for being unlucky as hell. Perhaps that was it. He’d wasted all of his luck and now he only had bad lucks, which meant his life would now be made of unfortunate events. Would he even want to live after this? He wanted to die, maybe hang himself. He no longer found himself wanting to live. He just wanted to die so he could forget this was happening, but he couldn’t kill himself and end his misery now. No, that would be too simple. The world only mocked him and his bad luck.

“And you know the best part?” Sjena whispered in his ear before grinning condescendingly and using his thumb to circle the omega’s lower lip. “ _This is all your fault_.”

 _Snap_.

Flug blinked and took a deep, shaky breath when he managed to regain control of his own body. He had done it again. He had snapped out of the alpha command. How? It didn’t matter right now. He could think about this later. For now, he had other priorities. And the first thing he did once he was free was bite Sjena’s thumb as hard as he could. “Motherfucker!” the alpha bellowed the first thing that came to mind, withdrawing his hand to inspect the bite. _Holy shit_ , Flug thought, watching the blood in Sjena’s thumb flow freely. How had he done that? He had no way to know when he was going to snap out of the alpha command or not, and the wait was almost as agonizing as being trapped in the never-ending vortex of the alpha command itself. Wait, what was he doing? He didn’t have time for this! He had to escape. Sjena didn’t waste time in letting out another alpha command, apparently having predicted he would try to run from him. But Flug was _tired_. He was fed up with the world. He was fed up with everyone and everything and he just wanted to go home and lie under the covers, never to come out again. “Omega, I command y—”

“Shut the fuck up!” said omega yelled in response, seeing nothing but red. He felt something unexplicable, something _enraging_ inside of him. Those feelings consumed him and his mind, controlling him like a puppet. He felt powerful and weak at the same time, and there was doubt, except that he knew one thing for sure: he wanted to _rip Sjena’s head out_. The alpha stood there, dumbfounded, asking himself what that omega who seemed so submissive and calm had just said to him. He had never seen an outburst like this before. “I hate you! I fucking **_hate you_**!” Sjena narrowed his eyes. The omega took a deep breath to recompose, and once he was calm enough the alpha proceeded.

“You’re such a disobedient little thing, aren’t you?” he asked teasingly, having completely forgotten about or ignored the omega’s outburst. Flug also narrowed his eyes, preparing for another alpha command or even an attack. Sjena slowly walked towards him, and instead of running away like he planned, Flug stayed. He wanted to see where this was going. Using his unbitten hand, Sjena grabbed Flug’s chin and forced him to look up. “I command you to never bite my hand ever again, _omega_.” But it didn’t work. Unlike the other alpha commands, this one had failed to make the doctor obey. He didn’t know why, though. He wanted to know why. He was a naturally curious person, especially since he was a scientist, and he wanted to know if it was even possible for an omega to blatantly disobey an alpha command. Was he the only one? It didn’t matter now, did it? Sjena didn’t know. He could have some fun with this. Flug grinned, feeling his insides twist with pleasure.

“Oh, you mean like _this_?” And he bit the man’s hand again, harder this time. Sjena yelped and withdrew his hand once again, looking aghast. How had that failed? That couldn’t fail! He was an alpha, for fuck’s sake! His alpha command couldn’t fail! That was what his parents had told him, after all, and his parents were always right. An omega would always be forced to obey their alpha, but apparently controlling Flug was harder than he thought. As soon as he saw that the alpha was distracted, Dr. Flug rushed forward and pushed Sjena repeatedly against the nearest wall. Once the man was dazed enough, he fled the scene.

He ran away and never looked back.

**_.  .  ._ **

Flug didn’t know where he was going, honestly. He just kept running and running.

He didn’t know if Sjena was following him. He felt like he didn’t know anything anymore. He just kept running and running. The hallways became a blur as he turned left and right without knowing where he was heading. He then saw an open room and dashed towards it as fast as he could. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a bathroom. He closed the door behind him, locked it shut, and then slid to the floor pathetically. And then he listened. He could not hear footsteps or the sound of breathing, or any other sound at all, which meant Sjena was probably not following him. He had left the alpha in a daze, which gave him an advantage. After a few seconds, he allowed himself to relax for a second. He had almost been raped and claimed _twice_. How could he let this happen? _You’re pathetic_ , a voice told him in the back of his mind, and he knew it was telling him the absolute truth. Could he even say he tried? Sjena’s words echoed in his mind: _this is all your fault_. He felt tears brimming at the corner of his eyes. It was true. It was _fucking true_. If he had stayed with Demencia and Ember none of this would’ve happened. Soon a few tears slid down his cheek, making their way to the cold floor. He started hiccupping violently shortly after.

He was pathetic, absolutely pathetic.

He didn’t know why he was crying, but he was, and it was pathetic. He couldn’t control it and he hated it. Not being in control of his body made him angry and frustrated. He spent about five minutes crying and reminding himself of how weak he had been when he preached about how omegas could be as strong as alphas. What if this wasn’t true? What if Sjena was right? What if omegas _weren’t_ equal to alphas? Were they inferior? He didn’t want to admit it, but… Perhaps this was the truth, and he just had to accept it and move on with his life. Should he just give in and accept Black Hat’s protection? No, his life couldn’t end up like this, locked up for good inside that manor…

And then he heard a knock.

His heart almost jumped out of his heart when he heard a familiar voice call out from the other side of the door, “Flug? Are you in here?” It was Eglantine. He visibly relaxed for a second, but the tears were still sliding down his cheeks. He couldn’t let her see him like this, so weak and pathetic. It was embarrassing, so embarrassing that he would rather hide than face anyone. There was a sigh. “Flug, I know you’re here. Please open the door.” Her voice tone was demanding but soft at the same time. Flug felt a tug at his heart, like he _had to_ comply with the request. And so he did. Slowly standing up, he unlocked the door, gripped the doorknob like his life depended on it, and slowly turned it. Once the door was open, he was face-to-face with none other than Eglantine herself. She had her arms crossed and a worried expression on her face. He almost felt guilty for worrying her like this, and he understood why. He had simply disappeared in search for Black Hat, and now Demencia was probably looking for him as well. God, he was such a _disappointment_.

“Look, I…” Flug started, but he had nothing at all to say. What _could_ he say in a situation like this? Instead of trying to explain his situation, he simply sat on the toilet and looked downcast, trying not to cry again. Eglantine, understanding what was happening, closed the door behind them. She then sat on the floor and motioned for him to do the same next to her. Flug hesitantly stood up, not really knowing why he couldn’t simply stay on the toilet, and sat down next to Eglantine. He had only been on the toilet for a few seconds, but the cold floor made him shiver for a second. And then, unexpectedly, the female omega turned to him. Her glare pierced his soul.

“What happened?” she asked— no, _demanded_ to know. Flug bit his lip, feeling his insides twisting. Something deep inside of him told him to trust her, and he didn’t know whether to trust his insides or not. It was agonizing. Obviously, it wasn’t as agonizing as the alpha command— nothing would beat that — but it was agonizing nonetheless. He wanted to trust Eglantine, he really did, but he knew how adamant she was and would, without a doubt, try and ‘talk to’ Sjena, and he didn’t want her to get hurt as well. Thankfully, unlike him, nobody knew she was an omega, or so it seemed, so an alpha command wasn’t an expectation. Despite that, Sjena was an alpha, so he was naturally bigger and stronger than Eglantine, and she didn’t seem to have any kind of superpower, much like him. All in all, she was at a huge disadvantage if she wanted to confront him unless she used her normal, deadpan comments to try and publicly embarrass him, and even that was risky. Could he trust her? _Should_ he trust her? It wasn’t an easy choice. Eglantine noticed his hesitation. “I know it might be hard for you to talk about things like that, but you can trust me. I’m your—” she cut herself off before continuing. “I’m your friend.” That was strangely reassuring, like Flug could trust her completely, and so he did.

“I…” his voice shook, just like his whole body. The memories burned at the back of his mind, which only made him feel weaker. He worked for Black Hat, the evilest villain by a long shot, so how could he almost let himself get raped and bonded? He only escaped due to pure luck, which was rather ironic coming from him. “It was a guest,” Flug explained. “They tried to rape and bond me. I managed to escape… somehow…” He didn’t know if Eglantine would understand how he managed to snap out of the alpha command like he’d been doing it for years, and he didn’t even know if she had ever been alpha commanded, so he didn’t expect her to understand a thing. Also, he wasn’t trying to protect Sjena at all (on the contrary, he wanted to watch the man burn). He was trying to protect Eglantine.

“Sjena,” Eglantine guessed.

And Flug stilled.

How did she…?

“I only know one person who would purposefully hurt you, and that is him.” Her voice held nothing but the purest of disdains, like her words by themselves could kill even the bravest of lions. As quickly as her anger came, however, it vanished, being replaced by a sweet smile. “Wash your face, dear, and take a deep breath.” She stood up and opened the bathroom’s door. Flug’s heart started racing.

“Where are you going?” he instinctively asked, somewhat afraid of the answer. His voice tone held a sense of urgency, which he desperately tried to mask. Eglantine simply shook her head.

“You don’t have to worry about it,” she told him before closing the door, leaving Flug alone with his own thoughts.

He felt something bad coming. He didn’t know whether it was just his mind playing tricks on him or if it meant trouble was on the way. Honestly, he was afraid of knowing the truth at this point. He decided to do what Eglantine told him and, taking a deep breath, he walked to the sink, put his mask aside, and washed his face. As soon as he did that, however, the make-up started coming off, revealing his scars. His past self would’ve asked Demencia or Eglantine to help him put on more make-up to mask his hideous scars, but his current self didn’t care at all. He didn’t care if the others saw his scars. This was his true self, and they could go to hell if they didn’t like it. Taking some paper towels, he dried his face and took a second deep breath to calm his nerves, telling himself that everything would be just fine even though he didn’t really believe it. This was fine. Everything was fine. He was almost raped by an insufferable alpha, but he escaped, and that was all that mattered. He was fine. Everything would be just fine. Flug eyed the doorknob. He should probably leave the bathroom, but was Sjena still around? He wanted to know. Hell, he needed to know. But did it even matter at this point? It was all pointless anyway, wasn’t it? He grabbed his mask and stared at it for a long time, wondering what he should do. God, who was he even? He couldn’t remember.

With a defeated sigh and his heart beating at an abnormal pace, he left the bathroom.

**_.  .  ._ **

Eglantine was angry.

It was rare for her to be this way. As an omega, she was a naturally sweet and calm woman who, in the eyes of her partner and other alphas, could do no wrong. Yes, she often got in trouble and left the house without her husband’s permission in the middle of the night, but, of course, he didn’t have to know about that. However, there was an obscure part of her that awakened when she heard Flug talk about what Sjena had done to him, like the inner beast inside of her was ready to pounce on the first alpha she came across. She wandered the hallways, hoping to be able to find Sjena and give him a piece of her mind, but, to her disappointment, she found absolutely nothing while searching. Frustrated, she thought of walking back to the bathroom to check on Flug, but figured he might need some space. He had been through many things, after all. He did need some space. Desperately. Meanwhile, she kept searching for Sjena. Perhaps she would be able to find him somewhere around there.

She walked…

And walked…

And walked even more…

…but Sjena was nowhere to be seen.

Having given up, she walked back to the ballroom. Eglantine bit her lip. This wouldn’t do. She had to find Sjena, no matter what. She had to give him a piece of her mind and perhaps physically hurt him in the process. How could he hurt Flug so badly? The boy was literally breaking down in the bathroom, and it broke her heart to see him this way. She might not have known him for long, but he was important to her for… reasons. When she saw Demencia talking to one of the guests, she decided to ask her where Flug was, and she said he had gone looking for Black Hat. She figured he was talking to her husband, and thus decided to warn the other omega about it so he wouldn’t waste his precious time on something worthless. However, while she looked around, she heard a sob coming from one of the bathrooms in the hallway, close to her secret room, and decided to check it out. After all, some poor soul was crying in the bathroom. How could she not help? It was in her nature. However, as she approached the bathroom, she noticed the sobbing was somewhat familiar. Was Flug in there…? The door slowly opened, and indeed he was inside, and he looked absolutely terrible.

She sat down and listened to him talk about the mysterious guest who tried to rape him, and the gears in Eglantine’s head slowly turned as she realized that Sjena was also gone. She put two and two together, and the truth enraged her. She managed not to show it, however, and put on a comforting smile to soothe Flug. She told him to wash his face and take a deep breath, and then left the bathroom, resisting the urge to stay with him to make sure no one else would hurt him. She felt a burning desire to protect the younger omega, but she fought against her nature and left him alone. She knew that he needed space, after all. Besides, she had other things to deal with, one of those things being named Sjena.

Eglantine barely noticed when she had arrived at the ballroom, but the thousands of loud conversations coming from every corner of the room were unmistakable. This was definitely the ballroom. The loud lights and sounds assaulted her senses and she winced in pain. However, when she stepped on the stairs, her eyes landed on a certain alpha with a scar across his face and a weird hairdo.

_Sjena._

And thus, her inner omega awakened and was ready to tear the alpha apart. She stormed down the stairs and towards the alpha and, narrowing her eyes and not caring if she was making a scene, pointed a finger at the man’s chest and loudly exclaimed, “You!” Her voice held pure, unhindered anger. Sjena raised an eyebrow, apparently unperturbed by the attention he was receiving and the glare that pierced his soul. “You fucking… You…” She had so many thoughts rushing to her at once that she couldn’t express them all in words, but rather incoherent babbling. Her mind was almost having a blackout due to the overload.

“Ma’am, please use your words,” Sjena condescendingly asked. It did nothing to help his case.

“Use my words? _Use my words_?! Well then, I will use my fucking words. You don’t even know what you’ve done wrong, now do you? Well, I will tell you all.” She gestured to everyone present in the ballroom before turning back to Sjena, who seemed a little more nervous now. And why wouldn’t he be? His terrible secret would soon be revealed to the entire party and there was nothing he could do about it. He’d thought Flug wouldn’t dare tell anyone what happened, due to his nature, but it seemed like Eglantine had forced the truth out of him. Eglantine noticed his hesitation and she was enjoying every bit of it. Sjena narrowed his eyes. That woman was a threat, and she had to be eliminated, no matter the cost.

“This man has—”

Eglantine did not see it coming.

Before she knew it, she was high in the air, being held by her left arm.

Once realization hit her like a truck full of cement, she screamed as loudly as she could, and it echoed throughout the ballroom, forcing everyone to look up in surprise. The whole room gasped at the audacity that Sjena had to grab an innocent woman and hold her hostage like that. He did come off as charming and a bit of an asshole, which made for an unusual combination, but they never expected him to do something like _this_ , something so daring and unexpected and controversial. Sjena had transformed into a winged creature made of smoke and had grabbed Eglantine to prevent her from letting his little secret out. “Do not come any closer!” Sjena warned as he eyed a few winged villains that had dared come near him. They immediately stopped where they stood, not wanting to risk having Eglantine dropped. “If you do, I’ll drop her!” he threatened. Eglantine tried to keep calm and think of a way out of this. She could risk revealing her secondary gender and scream for her alpha, but would it be worth it? There had to be a different way out. There had to be…

God, trying to face Sjena about this had been a horrible idea. How did she expect to win a battle in which she was absolutely powerless? _With her words_? Ha, what a joke.

Sjena grinned, pleased with his job. Threatening always worked, after all. He did not plan to drop Eglantine, unless she opened her mouth about what he had done, of course. He would not have his reputation ruined due to an unruly beta who thought she was more powerful than an alpha. Tightening his grip on her arm, he flew higher and higher until he reached the ceiling. At this point, everyone was holding their breaths. What would the outcome be? Would Eglantine die? Would she live to tell her story? This was one of the many questions that forced the spectators to keep watching. They were fueled by both curiosity and fear. “Why…?” Eglantine started, feeling like her heart would jump out of her chest with fear. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins, and her heart thundering, full of fear and hesitation. “Why are you doing this?” It was a stupid question, but a question nonetheless.

Sjena scoffed. “I have a reputation to keep. I won’t let you ruin it,” he stated simply.

“Ah, you don’t want them to know how much of a scumbag you are,” Eglantine corrected with a slight smirk on her lips. Sjena narrowed his eyes.

“You’re very confident for someone who can’t fly.”

However, before he could make a deal with Eglantine, exchanging her life for his secret, something hit him in the face, right in the eye. Screaming in pain, he accidentally let go of Eglantine to rub his eye. The omega let out another high-pitched scream as she realized she was going to fall to her death. One of the winged villains dove in and grabbed her right before she hit the floor. Sjena grabbed the object that hit his face and analyzed it briefly. It was a mask, and it looked familiar. He scanned the room, trying to find someone without a mask so he could attack them, but before he could do that… “Leave my friend alone!” someone screamed from the floor. Looking down, the alpha discovered that the person who had thrown the mask was none other than the omega he had tried to rape. With a grin, he carelessly dropped the mask, dove back to the floor, and shapeshifted back to his human form. Flug immediately shivered and took a few steps back, realizing his courage had disappeared once Sjena was close to him.

This had been a mistake.

Everything had been a mistake.

“Ah, the omega is so brave, is he not?” the alpha mocked, clapping slowly, using his charm to make the audience cheer for him, but despite that, they did not. They simply stared at him in disbelief and anger. He had almost killed Eglantine and now was mocking the last male omega? How dare he! Everyone was very protective of Flug, as part of their nature, but also because he had sort of become a likeable person, besides being a very bright and intelligent person overall. “It seems like you haven’t learned your place, now have you?” His expression darkened as he took a few steps forward. Flug resisted the urge to move. His inner omega told him not to. Instead, he found himself filled with a feeling he had not yet known, something that made him feel powerful and brave. It was a warm feeling, and he felt confident in his abilities despite knowing the danger. Eglantine wanted to defend him, but she was still shaken from having almost fallen to her death. Everyone else was too awestruck to say or do anything. There was no one to defend him.

He was alone in this.

 _And it was okay_.

“It seems like I’ll have to put you in your place.” Sjena grinned, glad that he would be the one to educate this pesky omega. “After all, we all know omegas need to listen to those who know better.”

Flug could hear his footsteps approaching. Taking a deep breath, his hands curled into fists as he closed his eyes, stared downcast, and shouted as loudly as he could, “I command you to _stop_!”

And Sjena _did_.

Everything stopped.

It took Flug a few seconds to open his eyes, but, when he did, an explosion of pleasure rushed through his veins, like he had just discovered the most precious gem. And he had. It was a breakthrough that would make it to history, he was sure. With this, omegas would finally be able to defend themselves from alphas. They would no longer be considered fragile and defenseless. They would finally be able to fight back, and now they were a step closer to equality than ever. How had he never tried this? It seemed so simple, and yet it was so complicated. Lots of studies had been made on the alpha command, but none of them managed to fully discover how it worked. Flug had planned on doing that on his free time, but apparently he now had a new thing to research instead.

He, Flug Slys, had just discovered the _omega command_.

Sjena was in awe. He stared at Flug hopelessly, trying to snap out of the omega command, but it was no use. He could not move no matter how much he tried to. It was the most agonizing thing to ever happen to him. “What… What have you fucking done to me?!” he screamed, desperate. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t have been alpha commanded by…by…an omega. This was simply unacceptable. He was an alpha! He had to be the one to command the omega, not the other way around! How…? How could _he_ let this happen? He should be able to snap out of it if he wanted!

Flug looked at Demencia and then at Eglantine, and took a step further, walking towards Sjena, to the middle of the ballroom. He found himself less and less scared of the alpha, his confidence building. He was no longer powerless.

“I put you in your place,” Flug answered, staring at Sjena in the eye. The alpha growled.

“Fuck you!”

Flug shook his head in disappointment. “I guess I didn’t order the alpha to stay quiet, now did I?” he repeated mockingly, Sjena’s words resonating in the back of his head. He would not try to rape the alpha, obviously. Unlike him, he wasn’t a monster, but the public humiliation was enough revenge for Flug. It made him feel justified, it made him feel good about himself. He was no longer defenseless. Now he only had to convince Black Hat that he could defend himself with the omega command and everything would be okay. The omega was going to open his mouth to say something else, but then he heard a familiar voice coming from upstairs.

“Flug?”

The omega immediately turned around and his eyes met with his boss’s, who was in apparent shock. Behind him was Amadeus, which meant the two had in fact been talking. “S-sir!” he stuttered meekly. He did not know how to explain the current situation to the eldritch in a way that would sound believable.

However, he failed to realize that Sjena had managed to snap out of the omega command and was staring at him with a lust for blood and an inhuman expression on his face, an expression of absolute and unbridled anger. He bared his sharp, shark-like teeth and sharpened his nails. His muscles tensed, and it looked like he was ready to pounce on the omega. Flug realized all of the stares he was getting, including his boss’s and Amadeus’s, and so quickly turned to where Sjena was, but he had not managed to be quick enough. And that’s when things went very, very wrong.

_Slash._

It was a matter of seconds, and Sjena’s hand was covered in blood. Flug gasped silently as he fell to the floor. Everything seemed to have stopped. Time and space no longer existed. Only the ‘thud’ of Flug falling to the floor existed. Once the shock wore off, the omega lifted one of his hands to touch his blood-covered face while he used the other as a support. He stood there, not knowing what to do or what had happened, when the pain hit him. Sjena had scratched his face badly, and now he was bleeding. Flug was astounded by the amount of blood that was coming out of his face. It was insane, it was too much blood. He started hyperventilating and feeling lightheaded, his heart was beating faster, everything became too bright and too loud. It was like having a panic attack, but somehow worse. He pressed his hand against the wound to try and prevent the blood from flowing, but it was no use, as it continued to gush. It looked like a horror film set, but this wasn’t a horror film. This was reality, and he now had to deal with it. It was his fault. He shouldn’t have taken his eyes off Sjena. How could he let this happen? If he could snap out of the alpha command, so could Sjena. It was his fault.  

His fault.

 _His fault_ …

Demencia ran to his side, kneeling down, not caring that she was stepping on his blood. She then turned around and grinned while supporting her brother. “Run, Forrest, run!” she yelled towards Sjena, followed by a deranged and mocking giggle, and Flug immediately turned to Black Hat. He had completely forgotten about the eldritch.

Black Hat…

Black Hat just stared at Sjena, his pupil nothing more than a slit. He looked calm, almost composed, except for his eye. Flug had seen that eye before, usually aimed Demencia. She often caused him to have angry outbursts, and the main indication of an outburst was his eye. If it was a slit, the only recommendation was to hide and hope he didn’t find you. The doctor immediately closed his eyes and hoped to die there and then. This wasn’t good. None of this was good. Everything was bad. Nothing was fine. This wasn’t okay. He wanted to die. He was hoping for a quick, painless death, but he couldn’t even have that. He simply chose to pretend he didn’t exist. After all…

…shit was about to _go down_.

**_.  .  ._ **

It happened in seconds.

He didn’t know what was happening when he came back to the ballroom. He was expecting to find his scientist speaking with Demencia while they ate some marshmallows or whatever, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case, because, when he came back, Flug was standing in front of a frozen Sjena, who seemed like he wasn’t doing this because he wanted to. “Flug?” he called in confusion. All eyes turned to him, but only one pair of eyes mattered, and that was Flug’s pale blue ones. The vision soothed him almost immediately. His omega was safe and sound. Except he wasn’t, because as soon as Sjena snapped out of his apparent hypnosis, he shapeshifted his hands into claws, jumped at Flug and scratched the right side of his face to the point of bleeding. He probably thought of it as payback for the omega daring to omega command him. The wound was very, very bad. There was blood everywhere, and Flug seemed to be having an anxiety attack. Demencia realized his state and walked up to the omega to help him. Only then did Sjena notice Black Hat on the stairs.

And the demon had gone _mad_.

His inner alpha processed the situation.

Sjena had hurt his omega.

_Sjena had hurt his omega._

**_Sjena had hurt his omega._ **

One…

Two…

…three.

Black Hat suddenly shapeshifted into an abomination of eyes, mouths, tentacles, and multiple inhuman appendages, let out a bestial screech that made everyone cover their ears so they wouldn’t go deaf or be sent to another dimension, and pounced at Sjena. The alpha yelped as he transformed into a puff of smoke and tried to escape through one of the windows, but the creature that had once been Black Hat dragged him down and pressed him against the floor with another screech that was strong enough to break windows and glasses. All of the guests huddled together against a corner, afraid of angering the beast, for they knew how powerful Black Hat was, and that annoying him — especially in his current state, which was of pure _rage_ — wasn’t a good idea at all. Demencia helped Flug up as they walked towards Eglantine and Amadeus, who would be able to protect them in case they became the victims. The couple accepted the two gladly and the four of them watched the discourse. The battle was fierce and hard to look at, especially since everyone present feared for their lives. All of the villains tried to see as much as possible, a number of them already betting on Black Hat.

Sjena had managed to escape from the demon’s grasp once again and tried desperately to flee as soon as possible. Black Hat, however, was faster, and used one of his mouths to grab the puff of smoke and leave a scar on it, which meant Sjena would have quite a few nasty marks later — if he survived, that is, which was unlikely. Demencia watched everything with pure curiosity, already knowing who would win. She did not fear being the next target. She was more interested in the fight than anyone else who wanted to leave the ballroom alive. Even if her romantic interest in Black Hat was completely gone, she still admired him for being an impressive villain with a reputation for being absolutely ruthless. Black Hat tossed Sjena around like a ragdoll, much like a puppy playing with its newest chew toy. He scratched and bit Sjena like a wolf toying with its prey. Everyone knew the man had a low chance of survival. Perhaps even Sjena himself knew, and that’s what scared him. But what scared him the most was surviving this, because he knew Black Hat would never cease to look for him until his revenge was complete.

And he would succeed eventually.

Demencia yawned. “God, this is so boring,” she complained, stretching, noticing how the battle no longer satisfied her. It had become bland and predictable. Besides, she already knew who would win anyway. Flug had forgotten this situation was common to her. She had grown seeing violence and committing acts of violence as well, and thus this was all less than interesting to her. It had been for a while, but she grew tired really quickly.

“Demencia, please stay close,” Flug begged, grabbing her arm. She rolled her eyes but complied. He knew he couldn’t trust her to not put herself in danger from time to time, especially when she tried to drink his corrosive substances thinking it was soda.

Black Hat was still trying his best to make Sjena’s life hell. He bit and scratched and did everything he could to hurt him. It was revenge. Sjena had hurt his omega. Sjena had to pay for that. The thought of his omega hurt made Black Hat want to scream in pain for his omega, it made him want to feel his omega’s pain or take it away. He could hear Sjena beg for his life but he did not care at all. That alpha needed to pay. He had hurt his omega badly, and now he had to suffer what his poor, fragile omega had gone through. Everything spun. Sounds and colors became one as he tore the other alpha apart. Screams of terror and screams of excitement could no longer be differentiated. Black Hat could feel anger running through his veins, something unexplainable, and it only fueled his actions. Sjena was not enjoying it one bit. On the contrary, he feared for his life. Not only was he afraid of dying, but he was also afraid of living.

“Please stop,” Sjena begged, voice trembling. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

And yet Black Hat did not care.

He would _never_ care.

**_.  .  ._ **

Demencia watched everything in utter boredom.

She didn’t know why she didn’t just walk up to Black Hat and told him to get it together and take them home. Wait, she did: Flug. The boy she considered a little brother was holding onto her for dear life, both for protection and so that she wouldn’t do anything reckless. But it was too late, for she was already considering doing many dangerous things, both now and in the future. She felt some excitement knowing that Sjena was getting the punishment he deserved, but at the same time she was just so _bored_. Why couldn’t Black Hat just finish him so they could go home? Why did he have to _play_ with him like a toy? She understood that Sjena needed to suffer, for she also wanted him to suffer for what he had done to her little brother, but Black Hat could also be a little faster, could he not? It didn’t matter, after all, because the results would be the same: Sjena would end up _dead_.

While watching, she had an idea.

Turning to Flug, she pointed to his face and said, “You’re bleeding, bro!” His eyes widened slightly as he let go of her arm to check his face. While he was distracted, Demencia power-walked towards the inhuman mass of tentacles, mouths, eyes, and appendages that was Black Hat, narrowing her eyes. Flug realized way too late what was happening, and he wasn’t going to risk his life going after Demencia. He wasn’t an idiot. He simply whined in distress and looked downcast. Eglantine, noticing his distress, put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. He smiled slightly at her and then looked back to Demencia. What was she going to do? The hybrid was extremely hard to predict, especially in a stressful and rushed situation.

“Hey, Black Hat,” she started, poking the eldritch’s inhuman form. The creature stopped tearing Sjena apart and slowly turned to her. She failed to realize what was happening. “Can you just finish already? I’m bored as heck here.”

Everyone held their breaths.

Black Hat paused.

He analyzed the situation.

And then he screeched like he had never done before.

He analyzed Demencia and deemed her an enemy that _needed to be eliminated_.

Demencia realized way too late that she had indeed fucked up. Black Hat began running towards her, leaving Sjena alone, and she simply stood there, paralyzed, not knowing what to do. Her mind and heart were racing, each one telling her different things. Her heart told her that this was her punishment, and she had to embrace it. Her mind, however, was telling her that she needed to get out of there as soon as possible. Not knowing what to do, she simply froze in place. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, deciding to embrace her oncoming death, ignoring the sound of footsteps coming from behind her. She could no longer trust herself to know what sounds were real and what weren’t. Were the whispers real? Were the footsteps real? Hell, she would never know.

This was the end.

That is, until she felt someone grabbing her hand and pulling her away. She opened her eyes in a heartbeat. Flug stood in her place, looking at her with a soothing smile. She could practically read his eyes.

‘It’s ok,’ they said, ‘I got this’.

Demencia fell to the floor and it was too late to do anything, both for her and Black Hat. The eldritch, simply choosing to believe the human in front of him was another enemy that needed to be eliminated, crashed into Flug without realizing who he was, sending him sliding across the floor next to Eglantine, who let out a pained scream that pierced everyone’s souls. They had never heard her let out such a scream, so full of pain and sorrow, not even when she had been held by Sjena as a punishment. She immediately crouched down and desperately checked his heartbeat. For the first few seconds, she couldn’t find anything, and she immediately panicked.

“No, no, no…” she murmured, desperately checking for a heartbeat. The villains that had huddled together in the corner were now curiously looking at the unconscious body on the ground, some of them hopeful that he would wake up, others believing he was gone.

“Flug…” Demencia muttered, awestruck. He had saved her. She had almost died but he chose to sacrifice himself in her place.

The whispers intensified.

Black Hat stood there, eyeing the unconscious human while slowly shapeshifting into his regular form. Once he was himself, he blinked and awakened from his stupor, and then looked at the unconscious body of his omega a few feet away from him. He analyzed the situation. His omega was unconscious in front of him. He had hurt his omega. He had _hurt his omega_ , and his omega…

His omega was _dead_.

“Flug!” he screamed, and ran towards the body, while Eglantine tried to find a heartbeat. She turned to him. Her stare gave him shivers, like he could look through his soul. He had never felt this intimidated before by anyone ever. He was the one to intimidate people, but something about Eglantine felt… off, like she was capable of tearing his head apart simply by looking in his general direction. “Is he…?” Black Hat was afraid of the answer. He did not want to know. He wanted to live in the blissful ignorance forever. He would never forgive himself if he killed Flug. Eglantine ignored him, searching for a heartbeat, and then she let out a sigh of relief. Everyone immediately relaxed as well, for they knew what that meant.

Flug was _alive_.

Black Hat took one more step forward but Eglantine raised her hand, indicating him to stop. The glare that came next pierced his soul. “You’ve done more than enough.”

“I…” Black Hat started, but he trailed off. He had no defense. He had gone too far, too blinded by rage to realize he had almost attacked one employee and almost killed the other. The latter, however, wasn’t just a replaceable employee, he was _his omega_. He had hurt his omega. How could he, Black Hat, the alpha of alphas, let that happen? How could he lose control so badly that he saw everything and everyone as an enemy? It was the most idiotic thing he had ever done. He could feel the others judging him with their stares and whispers. He knew they were talking about him, about how moronic he had been to attack the last male omega, _his_ omega, almost killing him.

Ashamed, Black Hat teleported away.

**_.  .  ._ **

At first, he thought it was a dream.

Flug opened his eyes and everything became too much. There were too many colors and sounds, and they were all too bright and loud. His body was heavy and light at the same time, and everything felt surreal. The first thing he saw was Eglantine crouching down next to him, as well as Demencia. They both spoke something, warm smiles on their faces, but Flug could not hear them. He could only hear a buzzing before everything came crashing down on him. Black Hat had almost killed him, although it had been unintentional. Still, he was alive. It was a surprise, but he was still alive, and he was glad for that. And yet he felt like he had just been run over by a car, which was partially true, for Black Hat had the strength of a thousand cars. Once he felt good enough, and the voices were clearer, he tried to sit up, and immediately regretted it. Everything spun around and it made him nauseous. He decided to simply stay on the floor. Eglantine’s soothing voice was the first thing he heard.

“Are you okay, dear?” she asked. Flug winced at the bright lights of the room. Had this place always been so _bright_?

“Yeah, I guess…” he answered vaguely. He didn’t know if there would be consequences to this. Broken bones, fractured spines, damaged nerves; everything was a possibility. And Black Hat was not weak either. He was known for his strength. Demencia said something along the lines of ‘idiot little brother’ and ‘sacrifice’. He ignored her and turned to Eglantine, one question still bothering him.

“Where’s… Where’s Black Hat?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where IS Black Hat? Let me know what y'all think.
> 
> Sjena got absolutely wasted lmao.
> 
> I also wanted to thank my newest beta reader, Smolpurpleboy (sorry I don't know how to tag) for helping me with grammar and structure. I love you friend <3
> 
> And I love all of you too <3 <3 <3
> 
> EDIT: I forgot to say that the title of this chapter is based on this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQXTXwpgAdI


	15. Two can play this game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flug begins having doubts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not take a whole year to update?? What is this sorcery??
> 
> Again, huge thanks to Smolpurpleboy for being my beta reader, you helped me a lot <3 and I wanted to thank you all for being so kind in the comments, I love all of you with all of my heart.

“He’s gone!”

The exclamation did not go unnoticed by everyone else. All eyes went to the middle of the ballroom and people started to guess who the mysterious stranger was talking about. And they knew who he was talking about. It wasn’t a secret that Sjena was left near death by Black Hat when the latter teleported away in shame. They, however, did not expect the alpha to have lived Black Hat’s attack, much less be able to escape without being noticed. It happened nonetheless, and they had to live with it. Many of the alphas, however, promised themselves they would find the man and tear him apart limb by limb. Flug was no different. He hated that man’s guts, and if he could find a way to get his revenge, he definitely would. It seemed like everyone was against Sjena now, and his reputation amongst the villains of the masquerade ball was ruined. Would he care, though? Would he even be able to live a normal life with all of his scars and possible trauma, both physical and mental? Flug desperately wanted to know. He hoped not. He hoped the man suffered as much as he did throughout his entire life so he knew what being an omega felt like. And yet he would never, ever know how it truly felt like unless he became an omega himself…

… Was that possible?

“We’ll hunt him down!” one of the alphas exclaimed while raising her fists in the air.

“He hurt the omega!” stated a random beta.

“That bastard escaped?!” the winged villain who caught Eglantine roared angrily.

“Let’s go after him! He mustn’t have gone far!” another alpha yelled while a group of angry villains marched towards the door. All they needed was torches and pitchforks and then they’d be a perfect example of an overused trope. Eglantine sighed, rubbed her forehead dramatically, gave Amadeus a look that said ‘take care of Flug’, and ran towards the main exit, where the group was heading. She then blocked the way, extending her arms to prevent the enraged villains from passing. The angry mob stopped, confused by the woman’s actions, but allowed her to explain herself before complaining.

“Look,” she started. “I hate Sjena as much as all of you, and I _do_ want to shove his arm up his anus and twist it in a perfect imitation of a human blender, but you all are confusing bravery with foolishness. Let’s stop pretending we’re better and mightier than we really are and enjoy the rest of the party without any more drama. We will deal with Sjena later on.” Everyone eyed each other, deciding on what to do. “This is not up for discussion. Do it or I’ll make Flug omega command your asses into oblivion.” And with that said, she walked up to her husband and friends. Demencia was analyzing and complimenting her brother’s newest scars while Amadeus simply shook his head while murmuring something like ‘teenagers these days’. Flug seemed a little confused but was otherwise okay. He eyed the ballroom, searching for something in specific, but did not manage to find it.

“You haven’t answered my question,” he told Eglantine. “Where’s Black Hat?”

“That’s your first question?” she raised an eyebrow but grinned in amusement. “Hmm, I sense something…” her grin widened. “Could it be _love_?” Flug paused for a second, analyzed the phrase, and then blushed. His face became as red as a tomato’s. Unable to answer for a few seconds, he resorted to hiding his face with his hands. This couldn’t be happening. He didn’t like his boss. He was intimidating and mean, and yet he could be cute and seductive when he wanted… No! He did not like Black Hat _at all_. What was wrong with him? That’s when he remembered that he had a question to answer, and his face grew hotter. If he didn’t answer, they’d all think Eglantine’s hypothesis was correct, and he did not need that at the moment.

“I-I don’t _love_ him!” he sputtered, embarrassed. God, he hated his life. “I’m just worried because he was so _angry_ before…” He looked down. Black Hat scared him. Black Hat _should_ scare him. But that fear that he had always had around his boss was slowly fading as the demon proved himself to be unable to control his instincts near the omega. Flug started to stand up. “I need to find him.” He ran towards the stairs, determined to find his boss and get more answers, but stopped when someone abruptly grabbed his left hand. He turned around, heart racing, thinking Sjena was back to kidnap and rape him. It was just Eglantine, however. The younger omega allowed himself to breathe after such a scare.

“Before you scurry towards the love of your life, let’s take care of that wound, shall we?” she suggested with a comforting smile. As much as Flug wanted to just say he was fine and run to Black Hat, he felt something inside of his chest, a need to accept and obey. He didn’t know why he felt that way, however. It was a foreign feeling.

“Okay,” Flug said, sighing in defeat, and then the two walked up the stairs together with Amadeus and Demencia in tow.

There was a short pause.

“… He’s _not_ the love of my life!”

**_.  .  ._ **

Black Hat had been admiring the moon and thinking about his life when he heard the doors behind him open violently.

He already knew who it was without needing to turn around. His inner alpha went crazy, begging him to check up on his omega to see if he was okay, but he resisted and resorted to pretending like the scientist wasn’t even there. He could not give in to his inner alpha’s desires so easily like this. He was Black Hat! If he couldn’t do something so simple like ignoring his natural instincts, how could he consider himself superior to every other villain out there? He had to be stronger than that. And he had to resist running up to Flug and hugging him there and then, begging for forgiveness. The memories still made him shiver. How could he have allowed himself to give in so easily and let his anger take control? He was damn glad he’d torn Sjena apart, but at what cost? He almost killed Flug, and that was simply unacceptable. His hands curled into fists as he tried to control himself. He could not lose control right now. Not in front of his omega, at least. That’s why he teleported to the terrace in the first place. Besides being ashamed of his actions, he needed some time to compose himself.

“Black Hat…?” Flug asked, hesitantly taking a step forward. He had already closed the doors behind him.

“What do you want?” Black Hat finally allowed himself to turn around and look at Flug. He had gauze swabs covering his recent scars, and appeared to be fine physically. Mentally, however, he didn’t know. Flug was a mysterious creature. He had mastered the art of hiding his emotions and hiding things in general. How would he have hidden the secret of his secondary gender for two whole years from Black Hat if he hadn’t?

“W-well, I wanted to check up on you, since you seemed a little… distressed,” he coughed and rubbed the back of his head while staring downcast. Black Hat scoffed at that. Was he being serious? _He_ seemed _distressed_? He was perfectly composed! No, he was the absolute definition of composed! How dare Flug assume he wasn’t! How dare he worry about him…

“I’m perfectly fine. Go away.” Flug, however, did not move an inch. Instead of doing that, he simply smiled and started walking towards his boss. The demon took a few steps back until he realized he was cornered. What was he doing? Was his subordinate intimidating him? That was unacceptable. “Are you deaf?! I told you to go away!” he bellowed. Usually Flug would flinch and quickly obey to avoid being punished, but not this time. For some reason, he didn’t budge, and neither did his smile— _that damn smile_ that made Black Hat’s stomach swirl sickeningly. It hurt, it really did, but it was an addicting feeling.

“Sir, we both know we need to talk.”

“I will alpha command you,” Black Hat threatened. Flug shook his head, strands of white hair flying everywhere.

“I know you won’t do that.” With a sigh, Flug walked up to one of the chairs of the terrace and sat on it, crossing his arms. Black Hat noticed how there were blood stains on his suit, and that made him cringe. He shouldn’t have played around. He should’ve killed Sjena right away. Was he even dead? “Sir, you’ve been acting differently around me ever since I came out as an omega. Do you… see me as inferior?” Black Hat avoided his stare. “Weak?” There was no response. “Defenseless?” The eldritch kept quiet. “… A _mate_?” Black Hat suddenly blushed and struggled to keep a straight face. God, this was so embarrassing. How did Flug even find out in the first place? This shouldn’t have happened. He shouldn’t have given in to his instincts. He was a bloody idiot.

“Why would you even _think_ —”

“Because of the way you act!” Flug interrupted, voice getting louder. He did not seem mad, but rather upset about the whole ordeal. Knowing that his omega was upset made Black Hat himself upset. Why was this happening? “Every time I try to do something, you prevent me from doing it, and if I hurt myself you act like it’s the end of the world. You didn’t do this when I was a beta. It’s like you think I can’t defend myself simply because I’m an omega!” Flug’s hands curled into fists. He wasn’t angry at Black Hat, for he understood how natures worked, but he was angry at the world, and he wanted to change it. Something had to change, and it wouldn’t change naturally. He had to be the one to change it.

And then Black Hat made a mistake. He couldn’t stop himself before the words spilled out of his mouth. “But you can’t!” That’s when he realized how it had been a stupid, stupid idea.

Flug, however, didn’t seem hurt at all. The corner of his mouth twitched and he started giggling before the small fit of giggles turned into full-blown laughter. Black Hat stood there, confused. Was his scientist really laughing at such an offensive statement? What was wrong with him? Had the impact messed with his brain? No, that wasn’t possible, he was acting normally before. He decided to focus on the laughter instead. He had never heard Flug laugh so naturally before. Everything he did was forced. He constantly walked on eggshells to avoid doing something wrong near his boss so he wouldn’t be punished. But now his laughter was so natural and vivid and _breathtaking_. Black Hat could spend his whole day listening to it. When the laughter died down, the eldritch patiently waited for an explanation. “You’re very predictable, boss,” Flug told him with a grin— a grin that Black Hat couldn’t help but fall in love with.

“And why is that such an amusing fact?” he demanded to know.

“I just found it funny,” the scientist shrugged, leaning against the chair. “I want you to know that I’m not angry at you, I’m just frustrated. I want omegas to be accepted as people, not _things_. I want a better future for every omega worldwide. I just feel like this is an impossible dream, especially with how things went down after I accidentally came out to the whole party.” There was a small pause. That’s when he remembered one detail he had forgotten to tell his boss. “He’s not dead.” Black Hat raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Sjena,” Flug clarified. “He escaped.” There was another pause, but this one was long and bitter as Black Hat swallowed the fact that he hadn’t killed Sjena. This had been a mistake. He should have slaughtered that bastard as soon as he landed eyes on him. Everything about him was suspicious, especially the way he talked about Flug. He objectified the omega, treating him like he couldn’t take care of himself. That was unacceptable. So… why was it acceptable when it was _him_ doing it? That forced Black Hat to rethink his actions for the first time in a long time. By acting like Flug was defenseless and weak, he was dehumanizing the scientist, treating him by his secondary gender instead of who he truly was, his accomplishments, his dreams and hopes, _his whole self as a person_ … How could he be so foolish? He really was an idiot and Flug was right in hating him, even if he claimed he didn’t. “Boss, are you okay?” the omega suddenly asked, noticing Black Hat had been silent for way too long.

“I’m fine,” Black Hat muttered, staring downcast. His hat covered his eyes, preventing Flug from being able to read his actions and the meaning behind them. “Tell me, Flug: are you scared of me?” That caught the young scientist off guard. He stared at his own feet for a few seconds, not knowing what to say.

“I…” He took a deep breath. “Honestly, I am.”

“Is it because I’m an alpha?”

“… No,” Flug finally answered. Black Hat raised an eyebrow.

“You hesitated once again.”

Flug stared at him hopelessly before answering. “I’m not scared of you simply due to the fact that you’re an alpha, but you have so much more power over me in all senses. You’re naturally stronger and faster and taller, and I’m weak and am just not worth the bother. I’m _worthless_.” Hearing Flug talk like this about himself made Black Hat want to change the world for him, make a world where he was worth more than just his secondary gender, a world where he was _perfect_. Black Hat looked up, walked towards his employee and put a hand under his chin, lifting his head so that he could stare into those blue eyes he had fallen in love with.

“You’re worth more than you realize, Flug,” the eldritch spoke calmly. “I’ve never quite seen someone as intelligent as you at such a young age, as well as someone brave enough to work for me. You’re capable of a lot and you’re a unique individual. Everything about you goes beyond your secondary gender, Flug. I hope you realize that.” Flug’s eyes lit up immediately and his lips curled into a small smile.

“Thank you, sir,” he said.

Black Hat shook his head. “Let’s go home.”

**_.  .  ._ **

“And Eglantine said she’d shove his hand up his anus and would twist it like a human blender,” Flug told his boss while they walked down the hall towards the ballroom, remembering his friend’s words which made him chuckle. Black Hat’s grin widened.

“That’s not a bad idea at all,” he responded, putting a hand on his chin. “I might hire her to give me some ideas. I’m sure she’ll be much more useful than Demencia; and less annoying, too.” He cringed and Flug smiled. Demencia could be frustrating to deal with sometimes (or most of the time, anyway), and he did find her annoying in the beginning when he first started working for Black Hat, but he had grown to love her like an older sister or even a best friend. He only had sisters anyway, so one more wouldn’t be a problem to him. Besides, Demencia had been the one to take him away from the ballroom and to a more relaxing place, so he had to thank her for that. “Tell me, doctor, did Sjena do anything else to you?”

Flug considered this question for a second. “If I tell you, do you promise to stay calm?” He could already tell that Black Hat was going to end up having an aneurysm just by this question. The demon was clearly curious and ready to tear something apart, but he kept calm and composed.

“Of course,” he promised.

Flug took a deep breath and braced himself. “I was going to look for you when he found me. He cornered me, alpha commanded me to stay and said he was going to bond me, but that he was going to rape me first. That’s mostly it. There was nothing exciting, really.” Black Hat’s hands curled into fists and, the more he heard, the angrier he got. Nothing exciting? _Nothing exciting_?! What did he mean by that?! That it wasn’t a big deal? It was a big fucking deal! Perhaps he was trying to act like it wasn’t a big deal so he could fool Black Hat into believing the same thing, but it wasn’t working _at all_. Noticing his boss was getting worked up, the doctor tried to think of something else. “It’s fine, really! If he’s alive, then he must be suffering a lot. That’s much worse than a quick, merciful death.”

Black Hat considered that. It really was much more evil to let someone suffer for the rest of their lives than to mercifully allow them to rest forever. “Yes, I have done the most evil option, as always,” he said. Flug nodded.

“You really have.” He then noticed they had arrived at the ballroom. The place was much less quiet and vivid than before, especially since everything had happened. “Ah, we’re here!” The omega saw Demencia waving at them, and he could feel Black Hat grimacing inside (and maybe outside). Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Flug turned to Eglantine and Amadeus. “This has been a great masquerade ball, excluding the part where we almost died, but I’m afraid we’ll have to go now.” Before he could go, however, Eglantine grabbed his hand again. This time, however, Flug managed to not flinch and simply turned around.

“Before you go, here’s my number,” she said, pulling a piece of paper from somewhere and handing it to the younger omega. “So we can talk when we’re far away from each other. Just register it and send me a message.” And she winked. Black Hat narrowed his eyes. She didn’t intimidate him at all, and he didn’t feel intimidated by the fact that she was close to his omega, but he felt something was… off with her. What could it be, though?

“Ah, that’s great!” Flug said with a smile. Black Hat shivered. God, how could someone working for him be so sweet?

“Let’s go,” he said lowly. Flug realized his boss wasn’t in the mood for games, so he said his goodbyes to Amadeus and Eglantine, gave a small smile to Atomus, who was happy to know that he was okay, and left with Demencia and Black Hat. Their walk to the car was awkward and quiet. At least it wasn’t raining, so that was one less thing they had to worry about. Black Hat got in the driver’s seat while Demencia and Flug got in the back seat. Demencia was still optimistic and happy while Flug seemed a lot calmer than before. He was still not over the shock of discovering something as incredible as the omega command, something he’d definitely use later on, and the fact that Sjena had practically torn a part of his face. He felt the bruises itching, and tried to scratch them, but realized that, due to the gauze, he could not. Hesitantly, he took the gauze off, glad that it had stopped bleeding (mainly because Black Hat would kill him if he got blood on his car), and scratched it. He could already feel the scars forming. Flug winced. He did not need any more scars after all of the ones he already had, but alas, it seemed like luck wasn’t on his side. When was it ever, though?

The car ride home was quiet.

When they arrived home, it was starting to rain. Flug felt a few raindrops fall on his face, and they were as soothing as the rain itself would be. He knew Black Hat wouldn’t let him stay out in the rain, however. As they calmly walked back to the manor, Flug thought about everything that had happened. Sjena was still alive. Where was he, though? That was the question. And he wanted answers. He couldn’t help but admit that he did want to make the man suffer as much as Black Hat did. He had caused enough distress in one night alone. How much distress would he cause for people in a lifetime? Way too much, that’s for sure.

As soon as they entered inside the manor, Black Hat turned on the lights. In the middle of the living room stood 5.0.5, shamefully holding a box containing a bunch of broken scent blockers. Flug eyed the scene and sighed, resisting the urge to rub his temples to relieve his suffering. God, he was too tired to deal with this, but he would have to nonetheless. He loved 5.0.5 like a son, and he didn’t want the poor bear to feel bad because he made a mistake, even if that mistake affected him negatively. “5.0.5, what happened?” Flug asked softly, approaching the bear with soft steps. The bear then broke down crying, saying uncoherent babbling because he was, well, a _bear_ , while pointing to the scent blockers in the box. Tears brimmed at the corner of his eyes, and Flug knew he wouldn’t be able to prevent them from falling, so the best thing he could do was comfort the bear. “It’s ok, Fives, really. You don’t need to worry about this.” The doctor pried the box from the bear’s paws and the tears fell. They were big, just like 5.0.5 himself, but Flug was used to this. One of the tears ended up falling on Flug’s most recent scars, and it _burned like hell_. He managed not to show it for 5.0.5’s sake, however, and kept smiling comfortingly. _Like a damn omega_ , his father would’ve said.

“I’ll be in my office,” Black Hat announced as he walked up the stairs without speaking anything else.

Demencia yawned and stretched. “Today was an awesome day, right, Flugbug? And you omega commanded that guy’s ass! That was awesome! Maybe one day we’ll find him and kick his butt together!” Flug nodded while he petted 5.0.5. “Well, I’m going to sleep. Night-night, both of you!” And with that, she headed towards her room with a smile on her face.

“Are you feeling better now?” the scientist asked the blue bear, who nodded with a small smile. “You don’t have to worry about the scent blockers, okay? I can always buy more.” The bear hugged Flug — a very strong hug, by the way — and then went to his little bed to sleep. The doctor sighed, knowing he had just averted a crisis, and went to his room, but not before throwing the box of broken scent blockers in the trashcan. Once he arrived in his room, the first thing he did was dive into the covers and appreciate them. After that, he got up and started undressing, because there was no way he was going to fall asleep on those fancy clothes. Black Hat would probably kill him. However, halfway through taking his coat off did he realize that he should probably take Eglantine’s letter and number and put them on his nightstand. And so he did. But he kept staring at the letter, wondering. Should he open it now? Eglantine had told him to read it when he was at less risk of dying and less drunk. _No, I should open it tomorrow_ , he thought.

Taking the rest of the tuxedo off and putting it on his wardrobe while switching to his usual clothes, the doctor laid on his bed and slowly fell asleep.

**_.  .  ._ **

Flug woke up to his phone buzzing.

He groaned and rubbed his eyes, realizing that he didn’t have his paper bag on like usual. It would’ve normally bothered him, but, this time, it didn’t. How strange… The second thing he noticed was that his head was hurting like nothing else. God, was this a hangover? He had barely drunk anything! It didn’t make any sense! Perhaps he was too sensitive to alcohol. Well, now he had one more thing to never drink again. The phone kept buzzing, indicating he had received a new message, but who would be messaging him this early in the morning? He checked the phone out, but found out it wasn’t one message: there were _thousands_ of messages.

At first the messages were simple and probably had good intentions behind them: declarations of love, poems, propositions, offers, and the usual sappy stuff that no one would expect from a villain. He chose to ignore them all, instantly regretting having accidentally canceled his scent blocker while beating Cyprian up. Once he got past the first texts (which actually took a while because of his dyslexia mixed with a hangover from the ninth circle of hell), however, things started to escalate. The messages started to become threatening and then downright aggressive: threats of kidnapping, torture, sexual assault, rape, disturbing roleplay, forced bonding and impregnating, multiple fetishes he didn’t even know existed, and much more. Flug actually had to put his phone down and take a deep breath to prevent his mind from shutting itself down. As soon as he was calm enough to carry on, the scientist skimmed through the messages, the threats and declarations becoming nothing but a dyslexic blur of words. That’s when he started receiving blurry images. Something told Dr. Flug to not touch them, but curiosity got the best of him and he downloaded one of them anyway. He was hit with a mighty wave of regret once the image had been downloading, revealing a very… _sexual_ picture. Flug didn’t want to wake up to _this_ of all things, so he blocked the number for good and continued browsing. More and more pictures crossed his screen, probably as lewd as the previous ones, and he continued ignoring them. He reached his limit once the messages got borderline discriminatory and turned the phone off.

Blocking all of those numbers was infeasible.

Putting the phone aside, he grabbed his pillow, pressed his face against it and let out a scream. God, he hated everything. He hated the world. He hated society. He hated _everything_. After he let everything out, he took a deep breath, rubbed his temples, and tried to focus on positive things. This wasn’t the end of the world. He could get a new phone number. All he had to do was explain things to Black Hat. How would the eldritch react to this? Badly, Flug assumed. Despite having promised that things wouldn’t change, things _did_ change. And it wasn’t a small change either. Black Hat himself altered parts of his personality when he was near the omega. He was still threatening and angry, but he was also more careful, attentive, and protective. He would definitely care that thousands of strangers knew Flug’s phone number and were sending him lewd messages with less-than-good intents. Sighing, Flug hid his phone under the pillow and prepared himself for the day.

Before he could go to the bathroom to wash his face and put on a new paper bag, however, he heard three sharp knocks on the door. “Come in,” he said, expecting Demencia, although she usually wasn’t up this early. It was around eight in the morning, and they had arrived home later than usual. While Flug was used to staying up late, the hybrid would usually go to sleep early so that she could wake up early to spy on Black Hat later. It wasn’t Demencia, however.

It was Black Hat.

“Si—”

“I came to check up on you, but don’t flatter yourself,” the eldritch explained before pausing and then raising an eyebrow. “What happened to your scars?” Flug panicked inside. What had happened to his scars? Has they gotten worse? Had they gotten better? He didn’t know anything anymore, and that scared him. He resisted the urge to dash to the bathroom and check himself in the mirror.

“W-what happened to my—”

“They disappeared,” Black Hat told him, awestruck. “All of them.”

What?

Now Flug dashed to the bathroom without hesitating, hoping his boss was messing with him. But he wasn’t. His scars were indeed gone. Not one of them was left. That would usually be a good thing, for those scars were hideous and reminded him of horrible things, but the question was _how_. Had Black Hat done it and pretended he didn’t so he wouldn’t seem kind? No, that seemed a little too forced. His body definitely wouldn’t have done it on its own, especially since Flug was nothing more than a human, so what could have done that? “Any ideas, doctor?” Black Hat asked as he leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. Flug had no words, so he simply shook his head, aghast. “Ah, it must have been a hero, then. I will… _politely ask_ the OHC about their whereabouts and give them a warning.” _Politely ask, how hilarious_ , Flug thought sarcastically.

“Do you think a hero could’ve done that?”

“Of course I do. You never know what goes through their pea-sized brains.” The doctor chuckled. That was true.

“What would that accomplish, however?”

Black Hat scoffed. “They want to fancy you up to sell you on the Alpha Sphere. I thought they’d know better than to mess with what’s mine, but they never seem to learn. It seems like it’ll take one more dead member for them to get the message.” And the eldritch grinned at the thought.

“Ah, of course… Well, now that that’s settled, I need to go back to work. Excuse me, sir,” Flug said as he left the bathroom and turned his room’s doorknob before exiting that room as well. Black Hat allowed him to pass without any hassle, thankfully. It seemed like he had thought about what the omega said the night before and considered it.

The manor was quiet that day. He could hear the birds chirping outside, as well as the sound of cars and people going to work and to the nearest grocery store. Flug thought about the events of the night before. Should he write about the omega command down? Should he tell the world about it? No, that would be a very bad idea. If other alphas knew that their omegas could command them, who knows what they’d do to those poor souls. Flug knew he shouldn’t care as a villain, but he related to other omegas in terms of loneliness and fear. He could also be selfish and say that he didn’t want others to find out he was an omega as well, the last male omega on Earth, but he wasn’t really a selfish kind of person… right?

“Surprise!” Demencia yelled as she dropped from the ceiling right in front of him, landing on her feet perfectly. Flug would’ve yelled if that had happened two years ago, but now he was pretty much used to it.

“Hello to you too, Dem,” he greeted, preparing himself mentally for a long day. “You’re up early.”

“Ha, jokes on you, I never slept,” the hybrid replied with a smirk. “Anyway, I want to show you something. Come with me!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards their destination. For someone smaller than him, she was pretty strong. That wasn’t surprising, however. He barely noticed when they had arrived at an odd, unseen part of the manor. He’d never been there before and… was that a plane? “Come on, I broke the front window with a brick. It was pretty awesome. There was glass everywhere. You should’ve seen it. Maybe I can replicate it right now!” Flug wasn’t listening, however. He stared at the plane in wonder. It didn’t seem old at all. He had never noticed this plane was even there. How did he miss something like that?

“How did you break this plane’s front window?”

“Um, did you not listen to what I said? I threw a brick at it.”

“Where did you get a brick?”

“I got it from a shady old guy in EBay. You’d be surprised with what you can buy on the internet those days, Flugsies. You can buy bricks, make-up, stupid omega perfume, and lots of dildos.” Demencia scooted closer to him. “Lots and _lots_ of dildos,” she added for emphasis. “I think I saw a crucifix dildo once.”

“Don’t make me regret having followed you.”

“Anyway, dildos aside, let’s go inside!” And, once again, she dragged him around the plane. He was very careful when entering because the last thing he wanted was tetanus. They settled on the middle of the plane near an open window, watching as the people of Hatsville walked by without a care in the world. “So, I dragged you here because I wanted to thank you for saving me… twice. I know I’m not the best sister in the world but, really, I wanted to, you know, sound sappy and stuff but I don’t know how to so can we pretend we hugged and cried and stuff?” The doctor chuckled and poked her in the chest.

“Hug?” he asked.

She poked his chest as well. “Hug,” she replied with a smile. And then she pulled something from one of the seats, and Flug paled when he realized what it was. “I hate this fucking thing.” It was the omega perfume. “Fuck you, thing!” Demencia bellowed while pointing towards the bottle like it could hear her and be offended.

“Honestly, who thought this was a good idea?” Flug asked, shaking his head in despair.

“Maybe they didn’t and just didn’t care,” Demencia suggested.

“That’s quite an interesting theory. It’s perhaps the most interesting thing you said all day, Demencia,” the omega pointed out, surprised. “Maybe you’re evolving…”

“Aww, come on, the crucifix dildo was pretty interesting!”

“I take that last statement back.”

Demencia rolled her eyes and turned to the city. She then looked at the bottle of omega perfume and at the city again. Flug immediately became suspicious. She was definitely planning something. “Demencia, what are you planning?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. Before he could do anything else, however, the hybrid chucked the bottle of perfume out the window without caring about the consequences. “Demencia!” Flug scolded, aghast. How could she do something like this? It could hit an innocent bystander! God, he was too empathic for his own good.

“Oh my god, look!” She tapped his shoulder three times in excitement and then turned to the window. Flug watched as well. A few people ran to where the bottle had landed (which was not on someone’s head, thankfully). At first it seemed normal for everyone would be curious about an object falling from the sky, but then a few people began to fight with each other. “They’re fighting over that bottle of perfume like they’d fight over an omega! That’s hilarious!” Demencia wheezed. Flug stared in awe. It was true. Most of the people were just confused or appreciating the smell, but the few rowdy ones were fighting with each other over that single bottle of perfume, cheap as it was. And then the gears in his head started to turn. He could make an invention out of that! That sounded absolutely perfect. An invention that could distract heroes and even make them fight with each other… And the best part was that many heroes were alphas, so that would work out. Although many villains were alphas as well, so he would have to do something about that…

He needed to work on this _now_.

“I need to go,” he told Demencia before bolting. She simply shrugged.

“See you later, Flugbug! I’ll buy you that crucifix dildo!”

**_.  .  ._ **

Flug was walking towards his lab, happy that he had a new idea for a brand new invention that his boss would probably approve of, when he saw a stranger turn around the corner.

He froze for half a second before realizing it was an old client of theirs, Richard Mitchell, also known as Double Daemon. He had first and last seen the man two years ago, when he first started working for Black Hat, and, although he seemed very intimidating, he was a very nice person, and even gave him a lollipop. It was the first act of kindness Flug had experienced in the world of villainy, and he promised himself he would remember that man if he ever came back. “A-ah, hello, Mr. Mitchell, I didn’t know you were visiting.” Richard had raised an eyebrow at that stranger before realizing who it was due to the shaky voice, and he let out a laugh that startled the omega. He visibly relaxed when the man walked up to him and ruffled his hair playfully, much like a father would do to his child. That made Flug realize he had forgotten to put on a paper bag. While he tried not to panic, Richard spoke.

“Ah, boy, I almost didn’t recognize you! You’ve grown a lot!”

“T-thank you…”

“Arya, child, come here!” Richard called, and soon after he did that a boy that seemed a bit older than Flug (at around twenty years of age) appeared. He was the spitting image of Richard. Even their hairstyles were similar. “Dr. Flug, this is my son, Arya Mitchell. I’m sure you two will get along great. I have to talk to Black Hat, however. Could you keep an eye on him? I’ll see you later.” And, with that said, he left.

Flug swallowed. The spicy scent that the other emanated was overwhelming, which indicated Arya was an alpha. He should’ve guessed. Although Richard didn’t intimidate him as much due to him being a beta, his son managed to make him feel more uncomfortable than Black Hat did, although not as uncomfortable as Sjena. Nothing would beat Sjena (and that was a good thing, hopefully).

“So, Dr. Flug, yes? Please show me where your lab is, I’m very interested,” he said with a kind smile. Flug just nodded and walked towards his lab, hoping Eglantine’s scent blocker wouldn’t give out easily. He still had to buy more scent blockers, and could only do so online due to the fact that Black Hat never allowed him to leave the house. They would take a long time to arrive. In the meantime, he was officially grounded. He barely noticed when they reached the lab, and panicked when he felt his own scent.

His lab was covered in it.

His face immediately flushed as he held his breath. This couldn’t be happening. This really, really couldn’t be happening. He loved his lab. It was a place where he could be himself, but now he absolutely hated it. It was practically drowning in omega scent. He tried to act naturally, hoping that Arya had never smelled an omega before and wouldn’t be able to notice, and walked up to his table to get a few blueprints so he could draw a sketch for the newest invention. He already had tons of ideas and didn’t know if he’d be able to choose between them. Arya, however, seemed interested in something else. He slowly closed the lab’s door and turned around with a smirk. “I’ve been hearing rumors, doctor.”

“Hmm,” Flug hummed as he started doodling.

“They’re very interesting rumors… about your secondary gender.” That caught Flug’s attention. With his heart racing, he put his pencil down and stared at Arya, hoping to have heard it wrong, but he hadn’t, and that’s what scared him. How could someone have let it out already? “You see, I come from a very rich family. I get whatever I want, whenever I want. And I pride myself in having the rarest of items, things that few people have. Do you know something no one else has, doctor? A male omega.” There was a tense pause. “Do you remember what I said before?”

“ _Don’t_.”

“I get whatever I want, whenever I want.”

Flug knew he was cornered, but he knew, somehow, that Arya wouldn’t hurt him. It would cause too much trouble for him and his father. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. “Leave,” he ordered. Arya shook his head and walked up to the table, leaning against it. Flug spoke before the alpha could, however. “I will not repeat myself,” he added. He was hoping Black Hat would come and save him from this hell, but this wasn’t happening. He was all alone. And it wasn’t like it mattered, because he wasn’t weak. He was capable of handling this on his own. “I have many weapons of massive destruction in this lab and one simple press of a button would disintegrate you. You’ve been warned. Please leave.” Arya rolled his eyes.

“But so soon? I haven’t even had the chance to win your heart yet,” he purred seductively with a wink. It made Flug only feel disgust. Why did everyone want to hit on him? He wasn’t even desirable except for his omega status. That was why people were hitting on him; because he was an omega. If he wasn’t, things would be so much easier…

Flug took a deep breath. “Alright, let me rephrase that in a way you will understand.” He stared at the alpha dead in the eye. “ _Fuck. Off_.”

Arya scowled. How dare he! “You’re way too bold for an omega.”

“And you’re way too stupid for an alpha.” Upon seeing the alpha’s surprised face, he smirked. “Two can play this game.”

The older one growled, a sound that should’ve scared Flug, but it didn’t. It only made him feel more annoyed than before. “You’d better learn your place, omega. You are lesser, meaning you are below us, alphas. Your attitude will get you in trouble with your alpha one day.” Before any of them could say anything else, the door swung open to reveal Richard and Black Hat, with the former carrying a briefcase with the company’s logo, meaning he had purchased a new item. “Ah, dad!” Arya immediately switched into ‘good son mode’. “Dr. Flug and I were talking about his newest invention. It seems very interesting!”

“Ah, that’s great, son,” Richard replied dismissingly. “Now come, we have to go before your mother notices we’re gone. Thank you for the deal, Black Hat. And it was good to see you again, Flug.” The eldritch only nodded as he watched the two turn around the corner and disappear. Flug stared downcast, frustrated, and didn’t even notice Black Hat entering the lab until he slammed his hands on the table. The sight was intimidating, much more intimidating than a horde of alphas surrounding him.

“What did he tell you?”

“I-I don’t follow, sir…”

“What did that alpha tell you?” Black Hat repeated. “You’re upset.”

“A-ah…” Flug avoided his boss’s gaze as he played with his pen. He had to be careful with his words if he didn’t want to get in trouble. “He just said that omegas are below alphas, nothing else.” Black Hat hummed as he watched the doctor play with his pen. He thought about what was said for a second and then decided on what his next question was going to be.

“Do you believe him?” He genuinely wanted to know.

There was a pause. “…I try not to.”

Flug then closed his eyes and waited until his boss left the room. He wanted to be alone for a moment in his life. He heard Black Hat’s feet tapping against the floor of the lab as he left and closed the door behind him without a single word. After that, the doctor allowed himself to open his eyes and groan as he stared at the ceiling, wondering where he went wrong. Well, he was born, that’s where he went wrong. It wasn’t like he could help it, though, so perhaps allowing Demencia to play with his scent blockers was his mistake. If he hadn’t let her do that, he could still be pretending to be a beta, building his inventions, being scolded by his boss, and everything would be just normal, but apparently luck was not on his side. Luck had never been on his side to begin with, not even as a baby. He tried to focus on his sketch of the newest invention, but he couldn’t focus. There were too many voices screaming at once, each one demanding attention, wanting to be heard, but only one out spoke the others, and he hated that voice the most.

_“You need an alpha.”_

He didn’t _need_ an alpha. He didn’t need anyone at all! He could live in a shack by himself for twenty years and he’d still be fine!

_“You need an alpha.”_

He didn’t need anyone…

_“You need an alpha.”_

He could defend himself…

_“You need an alpha.”_

He could prove that omegas could be strong…

_“You need an alpha.”_

He could prove that _he_ could be strong…

_“You need an alpha.”_

And he was strong.

**_“You need an alpha.”_ **

But the voice spoke louder.

**_.  .  ._ **

_“You need an alpha.”_

Flug stared at himself in the mirror, wondering why he couldn’t stop thinking about what Arya had angrily told him. _“You’d better learn your place, omega,”_ he had said. Flug bit his lip and lowered his gaze to the sink. Even if his face was better physically, due to his lack of scars, his hands were still covered in small bruises. They represented everything he had gone through until now, every detail of his life, every battle. He had grown to accept those scars after a rough period of completely hating them, and even then he loved them mostly out of obligation instead of pure will. He sighed and walked towards his boss’s office, trying to think of something else, but he couldn’t concentrate. The anxiety in his stomach wouldn’t go away, and it was making him feel sick.

But there was something worse.

The voices were back.

_“You don’t need anyone!”_

He had been doing very well alone…

_“You’ll be alone forever!”_

But the fear of loneliness consumed his thoughts.

_“You’re strong.”_

He had arrived at his boss’s office.

_“You’re much more capable than you realize.”_

But one voice spoke louder.

**_“You need an alpha.”_ **

**_.  .  ._ **

Black Hat had been reading his newspaper — with more boring news about local tourists messing with the geese and ending up bitten into oblivion — when he heard a shy knock on the door. If it wasn’t for his inhuman hearing, he wouldn’t have heard it. “Come in,” he said, wondering if it was Demencia with yet another marriage proposal, but it wasn’t. It was Flug, and he seemed very flustered about something. “What is it, Flug?” His tone did not hold anger or disdain, simply annoyance. He wondered if there was something else the omega had forgotten to tell him, or if he came to talk about a new invention— he did seem to be doodling on one of his blueprints. The doctor seemed ready to flee at any moment, but, surprisingly, he stayed, even going as far as closing the door behind him so that he wouldn’t be able to escape. He was trapped now. He felt like he was making a mistake, but there was no going back now. Taking a deep breath, he stared at his boss in the eye, something he rarely ever did since Flug had the confidence of a goldfish.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and said, “I came to ask a favor.”

Black Hat scoffed, turning back to his newspaper. “Ask it, then.”

“Claim me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me in the comments what you want Black Hat to say ;)
> 
> Will he say yes? Will he say no? Who knows? Only me and my beta reader lmao but don't worry, hopefully next chapter will come out soon!
> 
> EDIT: Fun fact! The 'hug?' 'hug' thing is an inside joke between my friends and I. Just something I'd like to point out to you guys.


	16. Daze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flug and Black Hat fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weeeelcome!!
> 
> And I, once again, did not take a whole month to update this, but two days! I was so excited to write this chapter that I just couldn't sleep, so I lied awake at night thinking about my sins. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I owe Smolpurpleboy (sorry still can't tag rip) A LOT because he helped me write this chapter and captured Black Hat perfectly! Go check his stories out, he's an amazing writer as well! And I encourage you to check this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhEATqXnXCI) out because it inspired a lot of the sentences in this chapter, as well as the title.
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, let's go~

_“Claim me.”_

Black Hat almost ripped the newspaper in half upon hearing this, and then resorted to staring at the omega in shock, hoping to find anything that indicated he was messing with him, but he found absolutely nothing. This was a _real_ request. Why, though? It was so sudden that it almost seemed impossible. But he could see a hint of… _something_ in the doctor’s eye. Hesitation…? No, no, it couldn’t be. Could it be… _fear_ , perhaps? He felt something inside of him, a need to protect that omega until he no longer felt fear, until he felt protected and safe… And he would be able to protect him forever if they were bonded. No one would question him, for he was Black Hat, and thus nobody would question his omega either or try to take him away. That was the perfect plan. Dr. Flug was a genius, although that everyone already knew. Perhaps he had been thinking about this for a while and only now gathered enough courage to ask his boss for approval. Black Hat thought about it for a second as silence filled the room. He would gladly do anything for the omega, and, if he wanted to be bonded, he would do it without skipping a beat. His inner alpha had managed to see through Flug’s mask, however.

_“He’s scared.”_

Black Hat swallowed the lump in his throat as he stood.

_“He trusts you.”_

He watched as the doctor twiddled his fingers shyly and averted his gaze to avoid further embarrassment.

_“Make the right choice.”_

He walked up to the omega and waited until he was comfortable with the eldritch being next to him. And, once Flug visibly relaxed and seemed a lot less nervous overall, Black Hat closed his eyes and uttered his final answer.

“ **No.** ”

Flug did a double take, and then he felt his heart sink. It was like he was drowning in his own self-pity and frustration, unable to swim to the shore, to safety. He felt emotionally naked. He was truly pitiful in all senses.

“W-what…?” the doctor stuttered, taking a step back but immediately regretting as he bumped against the door, and then resorted to looking at his boss in the eye. “Why would you…?”

“I’m not blind, doctor, neither physically nor emotionally. I can feel a hint of hesitation inside of you. It’s a faint wisp of a flame that has always weakly burned deep in there. It is the source of the thousands of voices that torment you. It is the reason you can barely sleep at night. It is pure _fear_.” He nonchalantly took a step forward, and Flug practically squeezed himself against the door, feeling weak and helpless; feeling like _an omega_. He really was drowning in his own emotions. All of the voices were screaming inside of his head, claiming he had made a mistake and that he should be ashamed of himself. He resisted the urge to break down there and then. Black Hat didn’t need to be bonded to the omega to realize he was starting to intimidate the poor guy. “Tell me, doctor, what were you hoping to accomplish?” Flug took a deep breath to calm himself down. He regretted not having put on a paper bag before doing this. He was practically an open book, and Black Hat had been able to easily read his emotions and intentions. He then remembered why he started wearing that damn paper bag in the first place. “Well?” Black Hat raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, awaiting an answer. So far, he had received nothing at all. Flug gulped and closed his eyes as tightly as he could.

First there was sadness.

“I…”

Then there was hesitation.

“I just…”

And then there was _anger_.

“ ** _You_** _._ ”

And, in an unexpected turn of events, the scientist pushed Black Hat away from him and narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth and tensing his muscles much like a ferocious beast that had been just set free after being trapped for so long. And it had. Deep down, the most violent part of him had awakened once again. Startled, but already knowing to always expect the unexpected, the alpha eldritch managed to regain his balance rather quickly. He adjusted his hat and gave Flug a glare that would’ve probably killed a regular man, but his dear doctor was no regular man. Well, not anymore, at least. “I will not tolerate this bullshit, Flug,” the demon warned him dangerously. Anyone else would’ve listened in a heartbeat, but then again, his doctor wasn’t just anyone. He was blinded by rage. The omega bravely — or foolishly — took a step forward.

“Is this what you like to do on your free time?! Play with my goddamn feelings?!” he accused, pointing one finger at Black Hat, whose right eye twitched in annoyance.

“I don’t know what the bloody hell you’re referring to.”

“I’m not blind, sir, neither physically nor emotionally,” he mocked. “I can see that you’ve been trying to claim me since I came out to you as an omega,” Flug explained, trying to calm himself down, but the flames of rage still burned inside of his soul. “You’ve trapped me inside of this damn manor, acted like I couldn’t fend for myself multiple times, and then claimed I was ‘your omega’, going as far as to threaten any alpha that did as much as breathe the same air as me or look at my general direction. So when I finally believe you, when I fall for the trap you ever so carefully set for me, you simply drag me down and back to the cruel reality? Is this what you were hoping to accomplish? Are you fucking proud of yourself?!” His voice got louder and louder with each word, voice carrying a pure, unadulterated hatred unlike any other. Black Hat blinked. Every single word that the scientist had uttered was true. He had locked, stalked, and defended the omega as if he wasn’t able to do anything for himself. But he, being Black Hat, was a prideful creature and would not lose an argument to his subordinate. Never.

“Back down, _omega_ , before I put you in your place.”

Flug scoffed. He’d heard that line multiple times now. It no longer scared him like it should. It only annoyed him more. “Don’t try to act all mighty now! I can see right through that mask of yours. You _know_ what you did but you’re too arrogant to admit that all you want to do is see me suffer!”

_“Tell him the truth.”_

“ ** _YOU’RE SCARED,_** ” Black Hat roared, his pupil nothing more than a slit. The yell effectively shut Flug up. The omega stared at him with wide eyes, feeling conflicted. He didn’t know whether to feel fear, rage, or a combination of those two. So he simply stood there, staring at his boss, waiting for him to speak and explain himself. “I am an opportunistic creature that feeds off of the fears of the weak and lurks in the shadows during the night, I’ll gladly admit it, but one thing I will not do is take advantage of your fears to force you to become my mate against your will. You might try to act like it was your idea, but I know for a fact that it was the world’s. It wants you to surrender, and I know you don’t want to do that. I know you want to fight against the rules and become someone worthy of praise, someone who’s more than his secondary gender. But you’ve let the fear take over, and now you’re nothing more than a puppet.” Flug gritted his teeth, hands curling into fists, as he felt his body shake. There were too many thoughts rushing to his head at once. He felt weak, like he was going to pass out anytime soon.

“Shut up…” he murmured, pressing himself against the door once again. He gripped his hair and dug his nails into his scalp. It hurt. It hurt. It fucking hurt. Everything hurt. There were a lot of feelings; too many feelings. _Make them go away_. “Shut up… Shut up… Shut up! Shut up! _Shut up_! You don’t know anything about me! You’ll _never_ know anything about me!”

“I know you’re angry because you don’t know how else to feel.” Flug hated the fact that everything he had said so far was true. He was just a mess of emotions. But, of course, he would not admit defeat. He didn’t even know what his goal was anymore; he just knew that he didn’t want to lose.

“I _do_ know how to feel, and I _do_ know what I’m doing.”

“Then _what_ are you doing?”

Flug opened his mouth to respond, hoping that the answer would eventually come to him and he’d be able to reply, but nothing came. He ended up just narrowing his eyes and scowling, while Black Hat scoffed and crossed his arms as if he were dealing with a disobedient child. “Your fear has spiraled out of control and collided with your anger. They then became one. You no longer know the difference between them. And, frankly, neither do I.” The doctor was intending to retort, but the eldritch was quicker. He wanted to get that message across. “You came here because you wanted me to claim you. But ask yourself this: do you really want that? Do you want to be bonded to an eldritch horror for the rest of your life? Is this the future you want for yourself? Did you come to this conclusion on your own, or did _someone else_ convince you? A certain alpha, perhaps?” There was only silence. The eldritch hoped the doctor had considered his words. “Once I claim you, there’s no going back.” The omega perked up almost immediately, a sly smirk making its way to his lips.

“Actually, there _is_ a way to reverse the bond between an alpha and an omega. I simply have to cut my—”

Black Hat narrowed his eye and cut him off before he could say anything else. He had heard enough already. “You’re **not** harming yourself to fix a foolish mistake.” The thought of Flug cutting his body anywhere made him want to retch. This was not happening. He would not allow it. He sat back down on his chair. “Don’t even think about suggesting this ever again.” The doctor felt his stomach turn as the anger returned, although much weaker than previously.

“Ah, there you go again, acting like I don’t know what I’m doing! Like I’m too fragile to know what’s best for me!” Flug threw his hands up in utter frustration. He was tired, both physically and mentally. He was still a mess of emotions, and they danced inside of him, each one fighting for dominance over the other. The anger was winning. His head was pounding. His vision was becoming blurry, but he did not know if it was because tears were threatening to fall or if he was going to pass out. Did it make a difference anyway? Did anyone care at all? Did he himself care? Those were such simple questions, but he would probably never find the answer to them. “I’m a fucking scientist, for god’s sake! Don’t pretend that you know better than I do when it comes to _my body_ , _my mind_ , _my thoughts_ , and _my intentions_. I am an adult and I deserve as much respect as any other adult out there!” Black Hat growled. He was getting tired of this game. When would Flug just give up and accept that he wouldn’t get what he wanted? Why was he so stubborn? And yet, Black Hat’s emotions were not affected. He still loved the omega and found his adamant nature to be charming. What was wrong with him?

“Then why don’t you _act like one_?”

… That _hurt_.

That hurt a lot.

And it made Flug even angrier. He felt the feeling twist inside of him, wanting to be set free. The barrier that contained all of his feelings was breaking. “You don’t know anything about me…” he muttered, feeling the rage become something much more powerful once again. He gave Black Hat the hardest glare he could muster. “You don’t know _anything_ about me!” The eldritch had never seen Flug this angry before. It was _almost_ scary, but mostly annoying. He was getting too defensive for his own good.

“Doctor, you've been preaching for weeks about how omegas don't need alphas,” Black Hat pointed out, doing his best to stay calm. It had been a challenge. All he wanted to do was tell Flug that he was _not_ going to claim him, no matter how much he really, really wanted to. “And now you think it's a good idea for me to claim you? What the hell's going on in your head, Flug?” The doctor was a true mystery. He seemed to change ideas every now and then, but one thing he seemed adamant about was that omegas could be independent— that _he_ could be independent. What had changed?

Flug took a step back, unable to calm his inner omega down. The voices were screaming in his head, each one louder than the last, hoping to be heard. He started feeling uneasy, a sort of hesitation deep inside. “I… I was wrong.” Admitting that was hard. It hurt. But it was necessary. His inner omega was begging him to simply accept defeat and move on. He lamented having given up on his dream of building a better future for omegas, but his need to survive was much bigger.

“And why do you say that all of the sudden?!” Black Hat snapped, narrowing his eye. “After the absolute disaster that was the ball, suddenly you take everything back?”

The doctor flinched for half a second but didn’t back down. “Would you rather I be marked by another alpha?! Is _this_ your big plan?! I can easily go down the street and find myself another alpha that would take me in! Maybe I’ll do that right now!”

Black Hat stood and slammed his hands on his desk. That sentence alone triggered something inside of him, a fierce need to protect and keep the omega inside. He had felt this way before, but only with Flug. Why, however? Why did the omega make him feel this way? “ ** _YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THIS MANOR!_** ” he boomed, voice seeming to resonate from every foot of the room. “I don't know who you think you are, or what has gotten into you, but I will not let you make such an idiotic decision.” He sat back down, visibly shaking. That omega was draining all of his energy, both mental and physical. “Why don't you go find Sjena?” he said softly, bitterly. “I'm sure he'd _love_ to claim you.” If that statement was supposed to intimidate Flug, it hadn’t worked. The doctor had almost been raped three times, so at that point he was desensitized by everything related to it.

He grinned mischievously, trying to play mind tricks with his boss. “Maybe I will.” His hand flew to the doorknob.

The door locked itself from the outside, but Black Hat even didn't move from his spot. Flug was expecting this. The demon was powerful. He could do things beyond human comprehension. So of course he would be able to lock a door from the outside without even moving. The eldritch closed his eye. "What made you want this so badly?" he asked. For once in his long life, he was baffled, completely out of answers.

Flug sighed, running a hand through his white hair. He tried not to feel weak in front of his boss, tried to stand his ground, he really did. “It doesn't matter. It'll never matter.”

“But it mattered at the ball,” Black Hat argued. “What changed, doctor?”

“I said _it doesn't matter_!” Flug bellowed, hitting the door with his left hand as hard as he could. The sound echoed throughout the room. It was like everything had stopped. Nobody breathed. Nobody blinked. Nobody moved. There was only silence. The doctor then gave Black Hat a murderous look, something he rarely ever did. “Unlock this door,” he said very slowly.

“No,” Black Hat said simply. “I can't trust you not to do something rash. You will stay here with me until you calm down.”

“Unlock this motherfucking door!” Flug screamed as he tried to kick the door down. His rage had escalated to the point where he became physically aggressive. “You always do this! You always pretend you know better, but guess what?! You _fucking don't_!” The door refused to give in, no matter how much he banged. How much noise was he making anyway? It sounded like the sounds he was making could be heard through the whole manor. Black Hat’s hands curled into fists.

“You think it's better to let some random, dirty alpha claim you?!” Black Hat cried. “To take you home and rape you until you're numb?! Do you truly think that's better, Flug?!”

The doctor quieted down, lowering his gaze to the ground. He seemed emotionally numb. “... It'll happen...” Flug looked so hopeless and weak and _broken_. “It'll happen eventually.”

“What changed, doctor?!” Black Hat demanded. “You were fighting — physically fighting — people because you swore omegas could be equal! And now you've decided not to fight anymore?” He resisted the urge to throw something. “You made such a fucking mess! You ruined that ball for everyone! And now it's for nothing, it's for absolutely fucking nothing?!” Flug snapped. He had never felt so hurt in his entire life. Knowing that he ruined the ball for hundreds of people made him want to simply stop existing. He was a fuck up, he didn’t _deserve_ to exist. But, while he was feeling sadness, it, once again, spiraled out of control and bumped with his anger. Flug was a mess of multiple emotions: sadness, confusion, anger. But none of them mattered. Nothing mattered anymore. He didn’t matter. His emotions didn’t matter… He could feel the sadness overtaking his brain, telling him how he shouldn’t exist, how it would’ve been better if he had been aborted, and he felt like nothing was worth it…

But he kept going.

“ ** _I_** ruined it?! Demencia did! She bought a fucking omega perfume and almost got herself raped! I tried to save her and was almost bonded and taken away! I tried to hide this from you but I can't anymore! I should've let that damn vampire claim me!” _You’re a fuck up,_ said a small voice in his brain. A tear slid down Flug's cheek, but he refused to acknowledge it. His face was flushed and his throat was sore from screaming.

Black Hat blinked. Oh, he was going to _murder_ that girl. “Why would you sacrifice yourself like that?” he asked lowly. “She made that decision for herself. She should've faced the consequences. Now she'll just expect someone to come running when she fucks up again.” The words weren't said, but he was sure Flug understood. _It was still your fault_.

And he knew.

“She's my family,” Flug retorted, letting his selfless omega nature take over. “I'll do anything for her. Even get raped.”

Black Hat scowled. He would never understand the fucked up human concept of family, having never had any to begin with. His employees were the closest thing he had to a family, and even that was questionable. “You've been saying omegas can be just as rational as alphas,” he said quietly. “Do you still believe that after what you just said?” That hurt even more than the previous statements. Flug knew he wasn’t being rational at the moment, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t rational in general. Even then, he didn’t even know why they had begun arguing in the first place. Everything was a daze and nothing more than a daze.

“I...” Flug swallowed the lump in his throat. “I need to go. _Now_.”

“You will not be leaving this room until I get answers!”

Flug wasn't listening, however. The voices kept getting louder and louder, echoing throughout his skull. They fought for dominance, hoping to be accepted, to be heard. And they were loud. He gripped both sides of his head and closed his eyes shut, muscles tensing. He started to hyperventilate.

 _“It's your fault!”_  
_“Look at what you've done!”_  
_“He hates you!”_  
_“Who would want to be your mate?”_  
_“You’re pathetic.”_

Black Hat leaned back in his chair and sighed again. He had not expected his day to go like this at all. “I'm going to ask you a few questions, Flug, and you had better answer them.” He gestured for the doctor to sit at the chair in front of him. The omega hesitated for a few seconds before he complied with the silent request. And, even then, he avoided eye contact, hiding his eyes behind his bangs, as if Black Hat’s stare could steal his soul. And, well, it could, but not at that moment. He simply avoided the gaze out of pure shame for his actions and how he behaved. How could he let anger blind him like that? How could he act like he was stronger than Black Hat? Without knowing what to say, the doctor simply nodded curtly. “Good, you've started to use your brain,” Black Hat snapped, and clenched his fists to compose himself. “First question: what made you suddenly stop caring about omega rights and decide you need an alpha?”

“ _You need an alpha_ ,” Flug repeated, feeling absolutely hopeless, as he then stared at Black Hat in the eye. “That's what the voices say. That's what they've _always_ said. I've tried to ignore them for a long time, but I can't do that anymore. They broke the barrier I've put up. It's always been a weak barrier to begin with.”

“Oh,” Black Hat whispered, suddenly a little more solemn. “I...didn't know about them.” He cleared his throat, doing his best not to let the revelation get to him. “Second: why did you come to me for it?” he asked, and had to admit he was afraid of what the answer might be.

“I... You...” Flug took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. He didn't know whether he was blushing or not, and he was afraid of knowing. “I... I trust you. I trust you more than any other alpha out there.”

Black Hat's eye widened and he could feel his own face heating. For several long seconds, he had no idea what to say. “You...trust me?” he asked incredulously. “I don't understand. Why?”

“You're the only alpha who, despite being affected by me being an omega, sees beyond my secondary gender. You see me as a person. You know I have strengths and weaknesses, you know I have aspirations and dreams and fears,” Flug responded truthfully. “You don't see me as your potential mate, a prize you can brag about to the world. You see me as _Flug_.”

“Of course you do have weaknesses and strengths,” Black Hat said before he could stop himself. Well, he might as well continue. “There's a reason you're my scientist and a reason you've worked here for two years. There's a reason you're under no threat of being fired and that I'm not looking for anyone else. You are, quite frankly, the only person I've ever met that I truly trust with this business.” He closed his eye. “I suppose I can't... I can't blame you for everything that happened at the ball. I understand you were just trying to defend yourself.” He looked at Flug again with a harsh expression. “I still can't excuse risking yourself for Demencia, though, no matter how you feel about her.” He leaned his head to the side and rubbed his temple. “I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost you like that.”

“You would've found a replacement,” the doctor shrugged sadly. “There are lots of people willing to work for you.”

“None like you,” Black Hat stated plainly. “They're all either after the job because of the title it would give them or because of some perverted interest in me. I don't want that. You have fire in you, Flug. You love what you do, even though it nearly kills you sometimes. Whatever you do you invest yourself in it.” He shook his head. “I could replace you, but I couldn't replace _you_.”

“I see,” Flug murmured as he bit his lip. “It’s very hard for me to see value in myself, however. I can’t help but think I’m replaceable. And after everything he did…” Black Hat raised an eyebrow. ‘He’?

“Sjena?”

Flug's eyes immediately widened and his hand flew to his mouth. “No— I mean, it's not really important.”

“Tell me, Flug. Today is the day everything is out,” Black Hat ordered, though in a softer tone than before. “I need to know. I can't have anything hidden from me, because look where it's gotten us.”

“It's... a relative,” Flug murmured, avoiding eye contact. “He's never really been kind to me. He always pressured me to be the perfect alpha because our family was important. This was before I presented as an omega. And, when I did present, he got angry at me. Beat me. I deserved it. It was... my fault... I was born defective.”

Black Hat scoffed. “Defective? Doctor, you're a wonder of nature.” He leaned forward and tilted Flug's chin up. “It doesn't matter who he was or what he did to you. That is of zero importance now.”

“I'm sorry, I can't bring myself to believe you,” Flug said, standing up. “I was broken. I am broken. I will always be broken. Some things can't be changed.”

“Maybe there are parts of you that have been broken,” Black Hat said quietly, “but being an omega isn't one of them. You said it yourself. You trust me because I know you're more than your secondary gender. Somewhere in you, you do believe that.”

“I... want to change it,” Flug said suddenly, finding a spark of determination within him. “My secondary gender, I mean. I’m a scientist. I think I can find a way to become a beta. Wouldn't that be perfect?” The corners of his lips twitched upwards slightly. “I would finally be able to go out without having to worry about scent blockers. I wouldn't have to worry about alpha commands. I—”

“I don't want that,” Black Hat whispered, gazing at his hands on the desk. “It's more selfish than this entire business of mine, but I don't want you to change.”

“But what about what _I_ want?” Flug asked, hoping that his anger wasn't returning. For now, he just felt absolutely hopeless. “Why can't I be selfish either? I know it's not in an omega's nature to be selfish, which is why I sacrificed myself for Demencia, but still... I would do anything to not hate myself every second of my life.”

Black Hat clenched his hands into fists and stared at them. “That's not the only way,” he said desperately. “I'm sure it's not. There has to be something else, something I can do. I'm supposed to be... I'm supposed to help you.”

“Claiming me would help, but it seems like you're not willing to do that either,” Flug murmured as he stood up and walked to the door, gripping the doorknob tightly and trying to turn it only to realize the door was closed. Oh, yeah, he forgot that Black Hat had locked the door. That made him think, however. Did he really want to give up on trying to conquer rights for omegas simply because he was scared? How selfish could he be? “Can you open the door? I'm going to my lab. I… need to be alone for a while…”

“Do you truly want that?” Black Hat asked, standing up as he walked towards the omega. “Do you really want me to claim you? I don't want to do something so life-changing that you'll... That you'll _hate me_ for.”

“I... don't know...” Flug muttered, feeling some sort of hesitation within him, spreading throughout his body. _He was making a mistake_. “Please open the door.”

“Tell me,” Black Hat demanded with a small hint of desperation in his voice. “I need you to know. _I_ need to know.”

“Please open the door, Black Hat,” Flug begged, panic rising in his chest, feeling tears brimming at the corner of his eyes. The voices in his head screamed. _You fucked up, you fucked up, you fucked up, you fucked up, YOU FUCKED UP, **YOU FUCKED UP** —_

“I can't!” Black Hat cried out. “I can't until I know! I have to know what you want because it's _driving me insane_!”

_“It’s all your fault.”_

Flug panicked. He started to hyperventilate. Everything spun. Black spots danced across his vision. He could feel himself getting weaker and weaker. He leaned against the door and pushed against it slightly. Then he took a step back and did it again, stronger this time. And then he rammed himself against the door repeatedly, trying to get it to open. His heart was beating way too fast inside of his chest. He couldn't hear anything anymore. Voices, screams, whispers, everything became one. “Let me out!” he screamed. “Let me out! Let me out! _LET ME OUT_!” He heard Black Hat yell something, but he didn’t know what it was. Nothing made sense anymore. The world was a blur.

It was just a daze.

Flug barely realized that the door had unlocked itself and pushed himself against it one more time. It flew open and he fell to the floor. He groaned, pushing himself up, before hearing the sound of Black Hat’s steps approaching. Panic filled his entire being as he stood up and ran for his life as quickly as possible. Once again, Black Hat yelled something, but did not dare run after him. Flug’s heart was thundering inside of his chest as he ran and ran to his room. Once he arrived there, he entered and locked himself in. He pressed his back against the door, took one deep breath, and slowly slid to the floor before wrapping his arms around his knees. He buried his face in his knees and groaned. His heart was still beating fast. Everything seemed too overwhelming for him, and it was driving him—

_“It’s driving me insane!”_

Flug stopped.

What was he thinking…?

**_WHAT WAS HE THINKING?!_ **

Flug closed his eyes shut as he felt the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. God, if he wasn’t such a fuck-up he would’ve done everything right and avoided this mess to begin with! The words _it’s your fault_ echoed in his head, refusing to go away, and he finally snapped. With a pathetic sob, the tears slid down his cheeks and he did not do anything to prevent them from falling. It was too late to do anything but sit there, cry, and think about his stupid, stupid life. Seconds became minutes, which became hours. How long had he been crying inside of his room? He no longer knew. Did he even want to know in the first place? Flug almost jumped when he heard a knock on the door. “Go away,” he said, but it was too soft for anyone to hear. He simply went back to burying his face in his knees and pretending he didn’t exist.

“It’s your favorite lizard sister, Dem!” came the voice from the other side of the door. “Come on, Flugbug! Do you want to build a snowman?” Demencia sang as she knocked on the door again.

“Go away!” His voice cracked.

“Are you… crying….?” _Fuck, is it obvious?_ Flug asked himself, hugging his legs tighter. It was starting to hurt. “Come on, bro, tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong.”

“Yeah, and you’re crying because it’s a beautiful day outside and you got too emotional over it,” Demencia replied sarcastically as she placed her hands on her hips. “Let me in or I’m going to break in! I have the power of God and anime on my side!” And then, with a screech, she started kicking his door, much like he had done to Black Hat’s door. Now he could understand how annoying that was. He tried to block the sound out, tried to pretend the hybrid didn’t exist, but nothing worked, and, worst of all, the voices got louder and louder, screaming at him for ignoring her, for being a terrible sibling and friend, for being a terrible employee, and for being a terrible person in general. Demencia never stopped kicking, and with each kick his thoughts got worse and worse. He began having even darker thoughts, thoughts he knew he should’ve been scared of, but he wasn’t.

And that’s what scared him the most.

Sighing, he stood up from his position on the floor and unlocked the door. Demencia almost ran over him as she held him by the shoulders. “Flug, I was so worried and—” The hybrid paused as she analyzed her brother’s face, which was covered in tears, both old and recent. Something inside of her snapped. “Okay, who do I need to kill?” She cracked her knuckles.

Flug rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” he said weakly, avoiding her stare. “Just leave, please.”

“No can do, little bro, not until I put a smile on that gloomy face of yours!” Demencia announced with a grin as she grabbed something from her hoodie and waved it around. It made a strange sound, but Flug was just staring at the floor, and couldn’t identify the object simply due to its sound. “Come on, let’s get some ice cream! There’s a shop nearby, remember?” The doctor wanted to refuse, but he knew Demencia wouldn’t give up until she got what she wanted. One thing he hated and admired on his sister was just how adamant she was. If she put her mind on something, she wouldn’t give up until her mission was accomplished. Perhaps that’s why she was so obsessed with Black Hat…

“How do plan to get us out of the manor?” he asked, having already given up.

“Look up.”

Flug complied, feeling like he didn’t have a choice, and his eyes widened when he saw the hybrid holding a set of keys with a smug grin on her face. Black Hat’s keys. “Where did you get this?!” he almost yelled, but held himself back. “You’re going to get yourself in trouble, Demencia. We have to give them back before Black Hat notices they’re gone!” The hybrid rolled her eyes and ruffled the omega’s hair.

“You worry too much, Flugsies,” she replied without a care in the world, dragging him out of the room by the wrist and marching towards the main entrance. “Come. Let’s get some ice cream!” Flug groaned.

He was going to die.

**_.  .  ._ **

The walk to the ice cream shop was mostly quiet.

Demencia had allowed him to at least put on a paper bag and grab his wallet because he knew for a fact that she was not paying. He appreciated the scenery and looked at the people going on with their lives normally. Nobody seemed to know he was an omega, nor did they seem to care. They knew he was Dr. Flug Slys, Black Hat’s scientist, but they knew he would not hurt them unless they provoked him. Demencia, on the other hand, they had to be careful around. She was a ball of unpredictable energy and would often lash out on innocent people just to impress Black Hat. She once broke a man’s arm because he dared sneeze in her direction. Flug had been teaching her to have manners and to control her anger, but he didn’t seem to have been doing any progress, and that frustrated him. Not making any progress always frustrated him more than failure did.

“We’re here!” Demencia announced, barely containing her excitement. The doctor blinked. He had been so distracted with his own thoughts that he barely realized they had arrived.

Flug decided he would wait in line while Demencia sat next to an old lady and began talking to her. And Demencia seemed to be getting a bit too excited. He just hoped the poor woman would be okay. Once it was his turn, he turned to the cashier and said, “I’d like two chocolate milkshakes, please.” The cashier nodded with a polite smile before telling her coworker to prepare two chocolate milkshakes and holding out her hand for the money. Flug handed her the money and she quickly handed him the change. When the milkshakes were ready, the doctor grabbed them and walked to where Demencia and the old lady were. “I brought the milkshakes,” he told his sister. Demencia’s eyes widened as she heard him approach and she practically grabbed him and brought him closer.

“Flug, this woman’s mom was an omega!” she shout-whispered.

“W-what?” he stammered, confused. The old lady let out a laugh.

“Ah, I assume you’re also interested in omegas,” she spoke calmly. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Magnolia.”

“I-it’s nice to meet you as well.” Flug handed Demencia her milkshake and sat on one of the chairs lying around, making sure to stay close to his sister and Magnolia. “So you said your mother was an omega?” Magnolia nodded, licking her strawberry-flavored popsicle.

“My mother was the most selfless person I knew. She would’ve done anything to keep me safe, even get beaten by my dad. She said that I was like the prettiest magnolia she’d ever seen.” The woman scowled. “My dad, on the other hand, was nothing more than an asshole. I would’ve loved to say it on his face, but he’s dead.”

“How did he die?”

“I killed him.”

“Nice,” Demencia complimented with a mischievous grin plastered on her face. “How did you get away with it? Tell me, tell me!” Magnolia mimicked the younger girl’s grin.

“Who would suspect a poor old lady of being a murderer?”

“ _Nice_.”

“Demencia,” Flug grumbled, drinking his milkshake under his bag. He had never come to this shop before, but he had to admit that their milkshakes were rather tasty. He never really had time to go around that much; the only times he left the manor were to buy groceries and items for his inventions. He had to admit it was nice to have a relaxing day for once, especially after everything that had happened with his boss. Oh, his boss… Would he notice he was gone? He sure hoped not, because the alpha would raise hell. It was the most annoying thing Flug had ever gone through. Why did he have to be born an omega? Why not a beta or an alpha? Did the destiny like to laugh in his face? Perhaps… “I guess we could be considered siblings, then. My father wasn’t the nicest person to ever grace the Earth either, but I never had the courage to murder him. Now that I’m a villain myself, then maybe…” Magnolia hummed as she sucked on her popsicle. Flug took this as a cue to pause and drink his milkshake again, and so he did.

“It’s interesting of you to go against your omega nature and do something so selfish, so cruel,” she commented nonchalantly with a grin. The doctor almost choked. “Your scent— it’s spreading. I’d run if I were you. The alphas are staring.”

Demencia sniffed the air, a sweet scent invading her nostrils, the same scent from Flug’s lab. “Ah, ha, yeah...” She paused, and then turned to her panic-stricken brother. “Wait, that’s bad, right?”

Flug did not even hesitate. “We have to go.”

“Now?”

“Now.”

And he ran, leaving the milkshake behind. Demencia grabbed her own milkshake, waved goodbye to the old lady, and dashed as well. She watched as Flug passed by and other people started smelling the air, trying to find the source of such a delicious smell, but, when they realized where it was coming from, Flug was already far away from them, running for his life. _This was a mistake_ , the voice told him, _everything you do is a mistake_.

He kept running and running and running and running, and barely realized he almost passed the manor. Flug turned back, opened the gate in a rush, waited for Demencia who entered shortly after, and closed it as tightly as he could. He took a moment to catch his breath, staying as far away from the gate as possible. His legs were burning from running so fast, his heart was thundering inside of his ribcage like it could explode at any second, and he felt like he was going to pass out. He tried to breathe, but it was like there wasn’t enough oxygen around him. Demencia approached him softly, still drinking her own milkshake with one hand and twirling the set of keys on another, like she wasn’t worried about what had just happened. And she wasn’t. To her, this was all a game, and that enraged Flug. How could she be so… so… _blind_? But it was his fault as well. He should’ve known Eglantine’s scent blocker wasn’t going to last, despite what she said. With his incredible lack of luck, nothing ever lasted, not even 24-hour scent blockers, which was why he was very careful when buying scent blockers online. Yes, he could’ve predicted this, but he didn’t.

“That was a wild ride,” Demencia commented, offering him the keys. “Anyway, how about—”

Flug, without even stopping to listen to the rest of the sentence, snatched the keys from her hand and marched towards the front door, feeling anger and exhaustion wash over him. He was still shaking, millions of thoughts rushing through his head at once. _You’re a disaster_ , the voice returned with a cackle. As he unlocked the door and entered the manor, he noticed something wet on his face. Taking his paper bag off, the doctor realized they were tears. Why was he crying? He shouldn’t be crying. Nothing bad had happened. It almost happened, but it didn’t happen. So why was he crying? He ran a hand through his hair, trying to stop the voices from invading his thoughts, but it was impossible. He could no longer put up a second barrier to protect himself from them. He had to face them head on and accept the fact that they would never, ever go away. But there had to be something he could do…

_“Fix it.”_

He walked around the manor some more, feeling tired and weak, when he stumbled upon the kitchen. He sighed, closed his eyes, and ran a hand through his hair. And then everything stopped. His grip on the strands tightened as he then let go of them and walked up to the counter, searching for something. His eyes landed on a kitchen knife that looked very sharp.

_“Fix it.”_

He slowly grabbed the knife and pressed the tip against his finger. It only took one second before there was blood pouring out of the wound. Flug couldn’t suppress a smile as he walked towards the bathroom. The knife was sharp enough.

_“Fix it.”_

He stopped in front of the bathroom, looking around to see if there was anyone else around, but there didn’t seem to be anyone. He walked in and locked himself in before staring at his own reflection in the mirror. He could see his blue eyes and white hair everywhere... This was it. This was officially the end. His grip on the knife tightened as he lifted it above his head, the other hand holding his hair like his life depended on it, and his eyes closed shut. The voices were speaking again, but one spoke louder than the rest.

_“Erase it.”_

And so he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Flug
> 
> This chapter wasn't long, like usual, but I'm very damn proud of it, and I hope Jasper is too! Well, I wanted to thank you guys so much for your kudos and comments last chapter, it inspired me so much <3 I didn't update for a long time because I was going through a rough phase in my life, but reading all of your concerned comments helped me keep going forward. I have you all to thank.
> 
> <3


	17. Kvardek tri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Black Hat finds out about the dick pictures Flug's been receiving.
> 
> He is not pleased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was long lmao
> 
> Anyway I hope this chapter is as exciting to you as it was to me. I wanted to thank Smolpurpleboy for being a wonderful boyfriend and helping me write this chapter out <3 I've been trying to update more frequently, especially since I finally came out of my depression and am now very excited for Villainous again. I've also decided that this fanfic WILL have smut (which my boyfriend will help me write because I'm a pathetic virginTM) so the ratings will change. I hope you remember that. In the meantime, however, I will keep it T-rated. Also this chapter was very fun to write for multiple reasons.
> 
> I wanted to thank you all for your amazing comments and kudos. I appreciate every single one of them. I love all of you <3 
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, onto the chapter!

Everything was a mess.

Black Hat rubbed his temple as he sat back on his chair and pondered about his life while staring at his newspaper like it had personally offended him. How could things go so terribly wrong? Everything started going downhill when Flug presented as an omega, but why? It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t choose to be an omega, he was simply born as one. It was Black Hat’s fault for making a big deal out of it, he knew, but he hated to admit it. Admitting he was wrong was hard, especially due to his ego. He just wanted to protect the omega, and he wanted the omega to, in return, accept his protection, but when he finally did, Black Hat ran him over like nothing they had discussed previously mattered. He shouldn’t have done that, it had been a stupid, stupid decision. He should have claimed the scientist there and then, just like his inner alpha had always wanted. But, if his inner alpha truly wanted that, then why… why did it prevent him from claiming Flug? It sensed something wrong, something Black Hat hadn’t caught on: the _fear_ and _hesitation_ in Flug’s eyes. It was that exact fear that made him stop and reconsider his options. Claiming no longer was one of them.

Why did Flug get so… _angry_ , though?

And then, after Black Hat did consider claiming him, he became rather hesitant, and then started panicking. It drove Black Hat insane. There was a swirl of emotions within him that he had never felt before: anger, sadness, doubt, confusion… What did he want? _What did he want_?! The eldritch hated to admit it, but he would give the world to that omega if he asked, and yet the scientist contradicted himself at every chance he got. What was happening? What made him doubt himself to the point of giving up on omegas’ rights and focusing solely on finding a mate for protection? That was… unlike him. Despite acting like a coward in front of Black Hat, the doctor was quite the fighter, and he was very adamant when he had his mind on something. Black Hat hated to say it but he admired that. He admired the doctor’s courage to try and go against society’s rules and fight for his own freedom. But then Flug gave up out of nowhere.

He heard the doctor lock himself in his room and cry. He heard it all.

And it hurt.

It hurt a lot.

He locked himself in his office and didn’t come out until he heard the doctor stop crying. He, with his inhuman hearing abilities, heard Demencia speak about leaving the house to buy ice cream and was expecting Flug to decline, but the fool accepted, mostly because he had no other choice. Well, whatever. If he wanted to be independent, he could be independent. He didn’t need an annoying alpha on his tail every second of his life, telling him how to live and how to act. No, he decided to read a few contracts instead... But he _couldn’t focus_. Flug’s words were echoing in his head, muting out the voices that told him to focus on his work. He thought about them over and over, trying to make sense of something, trying to find some hidden meaning, but there was absolutely nothing.

It was just a daze.

He heard Flug return earlier than expected, but what also followed was a sickeningly sweet scent that was filled with pheromones that indicated worry and sadness. This wouldn’t do. Black Hat couldn’t let his omega be sad. He resisted the urge to go there and hug the poor scientist, though. He had to give Flug his privacy, and, after their little argument, it seemed like he needed it even more. There was a sense of dread within his nonexistent stomach that wouldn’t go away, however, something that told him things were going horribly wrong. He waited for a while before he heard the sound of the bathroom’s door locking itself downstairs. His inner alpha was going crazy, trying to free itself and run after the omega to make sure he was okay. Because it knew he wasn’t.

_“Something’s wrong, something’s wrong, **something’s wrong**.”_

The voice wouldn’t go away.

It was always there.

Sighing, the eldritch pushed himself out of his chair, put his paperwork aside and slowly walked to the bathroom, like he was taking a stroll around a park. He knew the door was closed, so he didn’t bother trying to open it and phased through it, like a ghost would. He was not ready to find himself in the position he currently was, however. There was Flug, looking like he had just seen a ghost, holding his hair sideways with one hand, and holding a very sharp knife up in the air with the other. The two stared at each other’s eyes for nothing but half a second, although it seemed like an eternity for both of them.

Black Hat had never acted so fast in his entire life. With a snap of his fingers, the knife flew away from Flug’s hand and latched itself onto the nearest wall. Flug yelped, surprised, as he stumbled back and fell to the floor, trying to crawl as far away from Black Hat as possible. The eldritch was having none of it. “ ** _What do you think you’re doing?_** ” he asked calmly, trying to regain his composure, but did not manage to keep the demonic tone out of his voice. This was fine. Everything was fine. He had stepped in before Flug could harm himself and that was what mattered, so… Why did it hurt so much? Knowing that his omega had almost taken his own life away… Black Hat could give Flug everything he wanted. He could give the man power, possessions, admiration, planes… Did Flug not want that? Did Flug not want to be with him? Well, that seemed obvious, but the way he begged to be claimed said otherwise. What was going on inside of Flug’s head? He wanted to— no, he _needed_ to know. He needed to help him. He was his alpha! If Black Hat couldn’t do something as simple as that, then _what_ could he do?

“I’m…” Flug whispered, hesitating.

“ ** _Speak up_.** ”

Flug’s hands curled into fists. “I’m… I’m erasing my mistake.”

“ ** _Stop being so cryptic, doctor,_** ” Black Hat ordered, already feeling patience running thin. Flug narrowed his eyes, finally deciding to comply.

“I’m cutting my hair.”

Black Hat’s brain stopped working for a moment, and then everything made sense. The way Flug hung onto the knife, the way he held his hair to the side… Yes, it all made sense. It all… hurt. Black Hat seldom admitted liking the small things in life, but one thing he loved admiring was the scientist’s recently-discovered facial features— more specifically, his hair. He now hated that paper bag with the fire of a thousand suns, and wished he could alpha command the omega to never wear it again, but the doctor still needed his freedom, and so Black Hat bitterly complied with his requests. He still had one more question for the omega, however, a question he himself didn’t have the answer to, and he had the answer for everything.

“Why?”

Flug bit his lip, avoiding the eldritch’s gaze. He didn’t know how to describe everything that was going through his mind in simple sentences. Everything was a mess of screams and bestial screeches that gave him headaches. It made his head spin, his arms and legs hurt, and his heart ache. Why did he feel like this? Why did he feel so weak? Why was he so weak? His father was right. He wasn’t meant to be an alpha, and he would _never_ be equal to one. “My hair’s only brought me trouble. _I_ _hate it_.” The memories of the ball returned. He could feel Cyprian pulling his hair, forcing him to fall on his back, completely trapped. It was his hair’s fault. If it wasn’t that long, he would’ve escaped. He would’ve made it. It wouldn’t have been his fault. But it was. There was no way he could re-write the past now, but he could avoid repeating his mistake in the future. Feeling his anger resurface, he grabbed a decent amount of hair strands and forcefully pulled them out. He watched as they fluttered to the ground slowly. Black Hat watched as well, seemingly hypnotized by the strands falling to the floor, trying to process the situation. What should he even do in a situation like this? He snapped out of his daze.

“Flug, what the fu—” he stopped himself when the omega lifted his hand to yank out more hair from his scalp in an incredibly silent fit of rage. “Stop it!” he scolded, grabbing Flug’s hand and keeping it in place, away from his hair. He also grabbed the other one just in case he tried something. At first the human struggled, trying to free his hands, but saw it was no use and gave up. “Doctor, what the fuck is wrong with you?” he was running out of patience. Flug never responded. He simply lowered his head. “We don’t solve our problems by ripping our hair out. I thought you’d know that better than anyone else, Flug.”

Then he heard a murmur. “Why do you care…?”

“What?”

“Why do you care?!” Flug repeated, louder this time. “You’re just a creature who derives pleasure from being a sadistic piece of shit. You’ve mentally tortured me more times than I can remember. You’ve used my body, my mind, and my emotions for your personal entertainment for so long that I can no longer trust any other alpha, constantly worrying that they might do the same, that they might never change, that there might be no exceptions, just rules. So _why do you care_?!” An omega may lie, but their scent never does. Black Hat could smell it in the air: the smell of sorrowful omega. A smell that made his inner alpha go crazy, wanting to cuddle with Flug until he was okay, but he resisted. It wasn’t that hard, for he was Black Hat, destroyer of worlds and anything else that got on his way, but it was still quite a struggle. The eldritch let go of his employee’s hands, and Flug immediately used them to support himself as he leaned against the shower cubicle.

Black Hat sighed as he stood. This omega was out of control. When had he started becoming rebellious like this? After he came out to his boss, surely, because suddenly the eldritch, due to his protective instincts, wasn’t as threatening as he used to be. He had to fix that. He had to prove to Flug that he was the alpha, not him, and that he, as an omega, owed him respect, both due to him being an alpha and due to him being Black Hat. He turned to Flug, who was starting to stand up. The omega stiffened once he caught the alpha’s eye. There was a pause before Black Hat continued. “ ** _I command you to not do that ever again_** ,” he ordered bitterly in a low, demonic voice, staring at the omega in the eyes. He didn’t want to do this, but it was necessary at this point. He expected the doctor to be shocked, surprised, saddened that it had to be this way…

But he wasn’t.

Flug’s lips curled into a small smile.

Then he held back a soft giggle.

And it turned into full-blown laughter.

Black Hat flushed, furious. “ ** _Why are you laughing, you pathetic worm?_** ” he demanded, narrowing his eye. His hands curled into fists as he watched Flug wipe a tear from his eye at the insult. He could barely control himself. Black Hat hated to admit it, but Flug’s giggles were addictive. They were more beautiful than the most beautiful song in the universe. They were soft and pure, and his face when he laughed was just as breathtaking as the face he made when he smiled genuinely. Such laughter had to be protected, his inner alpha knew, and a dark, obscure part of Black Hat wished he could repeat his actions to make the doctor laugh again. But his pride got in the way, and so he forced himself to repeat his previous question. “ ** _Why are you still laughing, you useless piece of shit?! Tell me this instant, Flug, or so help me!_** ” The doctor’s laughter died down, thankfully — Black Hat didn’t know if he’d be able to go through that without claiming the omega there and then any longer —, but he did not wipe the grin off his face like the alpha had expected.

“Sir, no offense, but I can tell you’ve never alpha commanded an omega before,” Flug replied, his scientist instincts kicking in. In the past he would’ve never thought about talking to Black Hat like this, but suddenly, after their fight, he felt much more confident than before. It was like he was invincible. Perhaps it was the fact that he knew his boss would not physically hurt him; psychologically and mentally, maybe, but not physically. “It might sound as simple as giving commands like a king, but there’s a lot more to it than just that. You have to use a specific voice tone that only alphas can use and be very specific with your commands. Your alpha command voice was a little too low-pitched and the command left my inner omega confused.”

Black Hat resisted the urge to slap himself. He had never alpha commanded an omega in his entire life. It wasn’t necessary for him. So why was he not able to do something so simple? He was supposed to know everything! He should know the specifics of alpha commanding an omega! He growled. “Show me.”

Flug blinked. “H-huh?”

“Are you _deaf_?” he snapped. The doctor jumped, surprised by the sudden outburst. “Show me how to alpha command you properly,” he explained, then paused. “Unless you don’t know either, that is.” He would’ve threatened the doctor with an alpha command, but that would’ve been a little too ironic for his taste. “I know how much the alpha command makes you feel trapped, anguished, and I know that you no longer feel cornered and helpless under my presence, doctor. Perhaps you will finally learn your place once I show you which one of us is _the superior one_.” Flug stared at him with wide eyes, surprised for a second, analyzed his current situation, and then nodded. It wasn’t like he had any other choice, obviously.

“Yes, sir.”

_Like an omega._

He walked up to the knife stuck in the bathroom’s wall and pulled it out with little to no effort. Black Hat wanted to protest, but he trusted his scientist not to do anything stupid in his presence. Perhaps that moronic scientist was finally starting to learn his place. He took a step back to give the doctor some space. “Okay…” Flug muttered, taking a deep breath. He stopped for a moment to analyze what he wanted to do, and then his pale blue eyes lit up. And that’s when the pheromones in the air changed. Black Hat shuddered as he felt the change. It went from indicating sadness, to happiness, to fear. Why fear, however? What was he planning? “S-sir, I know what I can do to teach you,” he explained with a serious face. “But you only have one chance.”

_“You can solve two problems at once.”_

Black Hat wasn’t liking this at all. “What the fuck do you mean by that?”

Flug simply stared at the knife in his hands with a blank stare before holding the handle with both hands and turning the sharp edge of the blade on himself. Black Hat didn’t have a heart, but, if he did, it would’ve stopped there and then. His eye widened as he realized what his employee was planning on doing. And he knew what he had to do to stop it. The problem was that he only had once chance to do it. If he failed, it was over. Forever. He would never be able to take it back. Taking a deep breath, both of them acted fast. Flug pushed the knife towards his throat, and Black Hat let out the alpha command before he could think properly. “ ** _I command you to freeze_.** ” Flug’s heart started racing as he felt his muscles stiffen, the knife mere inches away from his throat. Just one second wasted and it would have perforated him mercilessly. He didn’t know whether he was truly planning on committing suicide or not — and, at this point, he was somewhat afraid of knowing — but he did know that now his boss had the power to bring him to his knees.

And that was okay.

Flug could do the exact same thing.

The doctor blinked as he struggled to snap out of the alpha command. He was still new at that, and didn’t know very well how exactly he snapped out of them. He just did at random times. It was like his inner omega liked to play little games with him. This time, however, he didn’t feel as trapped as he did with the other alphas. He knew Black Hat, and, although the eldritch could be unpredictable at times, he was trustworthy… partially, at least. Speaking of the devil… “You seem stuck, doctor,” he purred with a satisfied smirk. _That should put him in his place for now,_ the eldritch thought. Ah, how foolish could the doctor be to actually teach him how to do something that would trap him? Well, it would also be foolish of him to deny.

_Snap._

Flug let the knife fall to the floor with a loud clank before losing his balance and leaning against the wall so he wouldn’t fall as well. He held his throat and took a deep breath before having a coughing fit. His inner omega had such a poor sense of timing, he thought bitterly. Black Hat was taken aback. Flug was supposed to stay stuck until he was allowed to unfreeze! So why had he stopped following his orders? Was he so stubborn that he could literally undo alpha commands? How was that even biologically allowed? Alphas were superior to omegas in every way, that was true, so why did Flug keep surprising him? Why did he insist on trying his patience and acting like he could be much more than just an omega, than a status symbol?

That fucking omega… was so goddamn _fascinating_.

“ ** _Explain_** ,” Black Hat ordered. There was no need for alpha commands this time. He knew Flug would obey. He already had a taste of his power as an alpha.

Flug took a few seconds to recompose himself, but he knew his boss was not playing around. He knew his cocky attitude had gotten him there, so it would not be the answer to his escapade. He had to tell him the truth. “I snapped out of the alpha command, sir,” he explained, picking the knife up from the floor where he had dropped it. He played with the tip, accidentally cutting himself, but decided not to make a big deal out of it. If he didn’t act like it was the end of the world, neither would Black Hat’s inner alpha, who acted upon the omega’s pheromones.

Black Hat was confused. He was very, very confused. Flug snapped out of the alpha command? How? Why? Well, the ‘why’ was pretty obvious, but _how_? Omegas were supposed to obey their alphas until the end, were they not? “I’m sorry, sir, please forgive me for this,” Flug begged, and Black Hat was going to ask him just what the heck he was talking about when he heard, “I command you to _freeze_.” Black Hat was going to let out a laugh, because that was a poor, pathetic mimic of an alpha command, but then his muscles stiffened and he felt his breath catch. He felt trapped. He _was_ trapped. It was agonizing, terrifying. He was a being of pure terror! How could he let himself be trapped by a mere mortal like this, an _omega_ mortal, when he was fully capable of fighting back only by using three simple words? His eye widened when he saw Flug aim the knife at him. It couldn’t harm him, but no human had ever dared try something like this, which made everything much more interesting. Did Flug want to kill him? He had plenty of reasons to, of course, but he never imagined that Flug Slys, the scientist that stammered whenever he was around, doing something like this. The eldritch tried to free himself anyway so he could spare that omega the trouble of trying to murder his boss and stop him, but he couldn’t.

He was stuck.

This was _real_.

Flug’s grip on the handle tightened for a second. And then he practically threw his body forward while throwing the knife away. He closed his eyes and hoped he had done everything correctly. Like before, he only had one chance and he couldn’t mess this up. Opening his eyes, he kept his composure and looked up.

The knife hit the door, inches away from Black Hat’s face.

Flug let out a sigh of relief, and then realized his boss, unlike him, didn’t know how to snap out of an omega command. “Undo command,” he uttered, already predicting the worst, which he knew was going to come, and, in the blink of an eye, his boss was holding him against the wall, pressing him as hard as he could. Flug wouldn’t blame him. He would’ve done the same to himself, but this was Black Hat. Any punishment the scientist came up with, the eldritch could do worse; much, much worse. And that was not an easy feat, for the doctor was known for being able to torture his victims until they begged for mercy, even if he genuinely liked them. Flug was barely able to breathe. He survived purely because Black Hat had decided to be merciful. But was it truly Black Hat who had decided that, or was it his inner alpha? The doctor could not decipher the look in his eye, no matter how much he tried, so they stayed like this for a while before the eldritch decided to speak.

“ ** _You'̨d̡ ̷bet̕ter̶ h̛ave͏ a̢ ̨go̡od ex͘p̕l͜a͞n̡ation̡ fo̡r͏ t̷h͜is, ̡do̶ctor,͏_** ” he said in a surprisingly calm, albeit demonic, voice tone. He allowed enough space between his fingers for Flug to be able to talk and breathe, but not enough for him to escape.

“N-now you k-know…” Flug muttered, adjusting himself so that he was in a more comfortable position to speak better. “Now you know how we omegas feel like every single day of our lives… How it feels like to be weaker than someone that should be equal to you… How it feels to be at your alpha’s mercy…” Black Hat felt something inside of him twist. When he was commanding Flug he felt powerful and superior, but, upon being commanded, everything came crashing down. He felt useless, like he couldn’t trust anything anymore, and, even though he was Black Hat, he could not snap out of the command due to his instincts. And it was agonizing. The eldritch had never seen anything like it. It assaulted him mentally in a way that nothing else would, like nails on a chalkboard would assault someone’s hearing. “I-I’m scared, sir. Every single day I wake up wishing I was s-something else — _anything_ _else_ — and praying that tomorrow I won’t h-hate myself simply for existing. B-but that doesn’t happen. Before I c-came out to you, I had nightmares a-about being found and taken by the Omega Cross. I… still h-have them.”

“You _know_ I won’t let them have you,” Black Hat pointed out, feeling a pang of guilt hit him. Had he scarred his poor omega this badly? He needed to fix this. He had to. His inner alpha was going crazy. This was his fault and he needed to make sure his omega knew he was safe. He allowed his inner alpha to take control for a moment and make him feel those damn emotions towards his omega again.

“They’re persistent,” Flug retorted, lowering his gaze, feeling Black Hat’s grip on his throat loosening. “They will keep coming until you give up. And, when you don’t, they… _remove_ you out of their way…”

Black Hat scoffed, letting go of Flug’s throat and putting one gloved finger under his chin and lifting it up so that the omega could stare at him in the eyes. The action made the human blush lightly, and he could feel the heat on his face. He hated it. “Ah, dear doctor, do you really think they’d be able to erase _me_ , Black Hat? You’re much more faithless than I thought. Shame on you.” He closed his eye for a second and shook his head. “I will never let them take you away. I don’t know if it’s my idea or my inner alpha’s, but I won’t let them what belongs to me. If they try, I will bite their fucking heads off,” Black Hat said with a low growl. The thought of anyone taking Flug away from him made his blood boil. Flug was his and only his! He might not have claimed him but it was understood amongst the villains of the ball who he truly belonged to. The doctor struggled to keep calm. He was clearly uncomfortable. Had everything he said been in vain? Would Black Hat never believe that he did not want to belong to anyone?

“S-sir, I don’t… I don’t _want_ to belong to you…”

Black Hat felt a sharp pain in his nonexistent heart upon hearing those words. “What? Why not…?” He was almost afraid of asking.

Flug’s hands curled into fists. “I don’t want to belong to anyone!” he admitted. “The whole point I’m trying to make is that I’m my own being and not a toy that exists to belong to someone else for their own pleasure. I have feelings like everyone else. I, too, am capable of being strong, smart, athletic, stubborn… Those aren’t qualities only alphas can have. Every human is different. And it goes the same way with alphas. They can be caring, kind, nurturing, careful… Those aren’t traits only omegas can have either. I want people to realize that their secondary gender doesn’t define them, and it never will.” Flug took a deep breath. “I want them to know that I’m more than an omega.” He just hoped Black Hat wouldn’t be mad at him. The demon’s gaze seemed to ease a little, and Flug hoped that was a good thing.

“I see…” he murmured, spinning on his heels and walking away from Flug. “It seems like you haven’t lost your fire, which is interesting. That does not excuse your recent behavior, however. I do _not_ want to see you raise your voice at me again. Next time, there will be consequences,” he warned lowly before opening the door to the bathroom and closing it with an unnecessary amount of strength. The knife that was stuck on the door fell, hitting the floor with a clank. Flug stood there for some time before deciding Black Hat was far away enough for him to be able to leave the bathroom.

He looked around, making sure the eldritch wasn’t around, and allowed himself to breathe for a second, only for him to stiffen. His scent was rapidly spreading throughout the room, matching with Black Hat’s alpha scent. Knowing his boss wouldn’t be pleased to have his scent mixed with the scent of an omega, knowing just how uptight Black Hat could be when it came to his pride, he dashed to his own room and, when he made it, locked himself in. He pressed his back against his door before slowly sliding to the floor. Wrapping his arms around his legs and bringing them to his chest, he stood there for a few seconds, not knowing what to do and what he had done. He had screamed at Black Hat, and he had _literally omega commanded and thrown a knife at Black Hat_. Who would be stupid enough to do something like this? Only those with a death wish, he knew. It was painful to know he had to do this to make his boss realize the point he was trying to make… or, well, tried to make before. After Arya’s visit, he became much more confused about who he was supposed to be and what he should do.

Who should he believe?

_Thud._

Flug stiffened.

_Thud. Thud._

He looked up.

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud._

Was that sound coming from the vents?

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. THUD. THUD. **THUD—**_

And then something fell right in front of him.

Flug yelped, ready to call for Black Hat to get rid of whatever it was, but then realized it was just Demencia, who had an awful habit of crawling through the vents to get wherever she wanted in the manor. He visibly relaxed, glad that he wasn’t going to have to go through the shame of calling his boss who was already mad at him for help. And then he felt mildly annoyed that Demencia had decided to bother him _now_ , when he was feeling the guilt of his sins crawling on his back, although he did not want her to leave either now, because he feared being left alone. He feared what could happen to him. When he taught Black Hat how to alpha command, he also tried to commit suicide. He didn’t know why he had done it, but something told him it felt right. Something told him he had to do it, and that it would be worth it. Flug suddenly wasn’t so sure if he could trust his own mind anymore. He jumped when Demencia suddenly moved towards him in her ‘lizard form’ as she called it.

“Boo!” she yelled, almost jumping at him. Flug stirred but did not otherwise do anything else, and this made Demencia angry. “Man, I miss when you were a kid. You were so easy to scare,” she complained, crossing her arms. The doctor rolled his eyes.

“What are you doing here, Demencia?” Before she could answer, he continued. “And, before you invite me to one more escapade, the answer is no.” The hybrid pouted, sat on the floor, and crossed her arms like a child. “Which one of us is the kid here, Dem?” he asked. Ah, the tables had turned, after all. She had no answer for this, so they simply stood there in silence for a while. Flug allowed his scent to spread freely throughout the room this time. This was his room, and, as much as he hated his scent for reminding him of his place in society, it was his scent nonetheless, and he was forced to live with it. His father, however, had always made him feel ashamed of his scent, like he was allergic to it. It made him hate his own scent at an early age and try to hide it at all costs (besides the fact that he would be taken away if he were to be discovered). Atticus made him feel ashamed of being an omega, but he shouldn’t be ashamed. He shouldn’t. He _shouldn’t_. So why was he?

His phone buzzed again, and Flug groaned.

That couldn’t be happening; not now.

He slowly stood up and made his way to the phone, feeling worse and worse with each step he took. His eyes narrowed as he tried to see what kind of message he had received without downloading it, but it was just impossible. With a sigh and preparing for the worst, he clicked on the 'download' button and waited, sitting on the edge of the bed. Demencia walked up to him, curious, but still didn’t speak anything. She simply watched his every move over his shoulder. And then, when the picture downloaded, Flug hesitantly clicked on it. And, of course, it was a sexual picture, but it was a full-body picture this time, including the villain’s face. He also decided to add his name in the description, to make things worse. Demencia’s eyes widened before she broke into a fit of laughter, falling off the bed in the process. Flug flushed deeply and resisted the urge to throw his phone against the wall. Why did those types of things only happen to him? Was it because of his lack of luck? It had to be. There wasn’t any other explanation.

“It’s not funny!” he yelled, feeling distressed. It was like the air had been knocked out of his chest. Why did those things keep happening to him? Demencia wiped a tear from her eye.

“Yes, it’s not funny, it’s _hilarious_!” she cackled, holding her stomach. “My little bro got his first dick pic! I’m so proud!” Flug could already feel his pheromones change. He became more and more distressed. He couldn’t delete all of those pictures in time. Black Hat would see them and be furious. The eldritch knew he did not want to be property, but it was like talking to a brick wall. If he found this he was going to destroy his phone. And Flug did not want that at all. He groaned and pressed his phone against his forehead, hoping that a miracle would happen, but it didn’t. With an exasperated sigh, he turned to his phone, prepared to erase the picture, block the number, bleach his eyes, and move on with his life. Well, he was going to, until…

“ ** _Flug._** ”

The doctor jumped, almost dropping his phone.

When had Black Hat entered the room? He hadn’t even opened the door! Ah, yes, he was capable of phasing through physical objects. The doctor had almost forgotten. Thankfully he remembered to memorize this completely useless information. The eldritch looked… deeply perturbed, to say the least. “Y-yes, sir?” he asked, trying to not get on the alpha’s bad side. He didn’t need this at the moment. His phone buzzed again. Flug’s eyes widened as he hid the item under his pillow out of instinct. Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no… Black Hat could not see this. He insisted in being Flug’s alpha. What would he do if he saw another alpha courting his omega? He would raise hell, and that wouldn’t be good at all. Demencia got up and, without saying anything else (thankfully), sat on the edge of the bed as well. She patiently waited for the outcome of this conflict.

“ ** _Would you care to explain why your sickeningly sweet scent of distress has made its way into my goddamn office?_** ” he asked, trying to remain calm. The whole room smelled sweet, and it wasn’t helping.

Flug’s immediate response was to look up and at the vents. Demencia had left them open, and that’s why the scent in his room was spreading to other parts of the manor. “Goddammit, Demencia!” he exclaimed, feeling his rage building. His pheromones changed accordingly, and Black Hat tried not to fidget. Knowing his omega was angry made him feel anger as well, made him want to smash whoever had angered him into the nearest wall. “We told you to stop crawling on the vents for a reason!” The hybrid shrugged with a grin on her face. Flug then stood up and turned to Black Hat. “I-I’m sorry about the vents, sir. I’ll get the ladder and fix it.” The eldritch hummed. He was a little distracted by the doctor’s scent. It was so, so sweet… He wished he could smell it forever. Before anyone could say anything else, Flug’s phone buzzed loudly (it seemed louder than the other times it had buzzed) a second time. Demencia hastily snatched the phone from under the pillow and downloaded the picture. “Demencia, don’t you dare down—” He was interrupted by a second fit of giggles. The hybrid cackled madly, almost dropping the phone she was holding.

“Flug, this guy really wants to get the point across!” she pointed out, tossing the phone at him. The doctor yelped as he caught his phone and came across a picture of the man’s genitals, along with the lyrics of some sort of song. Flug felt his hands shake and his face heat in embarrassment. Being the most prudish person he knew, he couldn’t handle this. “He’s even sending you sappy poems along with his nudes.”

“Thank you, Demencia. I hadn’t noticed,” Flug said sarcastically between gritted teeth. He then felt a hand on his shoulder, and his heart leapt to his throat.

“ ** _What is happening here?_** ”

Flug felt his breath catch, feeling his boss’s eye burning the back of his head. Suddenly, as he froze in place, the phone was snatched from his hands by a tendril and swiftly brought to Black Hat’s hands as he analyzed the content in front of him. When he did process the situation, his eye widened and he slowly turned to Flug and Demencia. He seemed calm and composed on the outside, but his scent spread throughout the room faster than Flug’s, and the omega shuddered. He was furious, ready to maul the first thing that crossed his path. And it also made Flug feel enraged. He didn’t know why, but it made him want to snap someone’s neck as well. Perhaps he now understood why his boss hated being around his scent so much… It could influence an alpha or omega a lot…

“ ** _Flug,_** ” he spat the name like it had left a bitter taste in his mouth. His eye was nothing more than a slit. “ ** _What is the meaning of this?!_** ” Both of them flinched. This was bad. This was really, really bad.

“I-I’ve been receiving those a-all day, sir,” Flug said. His voice was nothing more than a whisper as he clutched his left arm tightly. He stared downcast, trying not to look at his boss in the eye. “I can’t block them all, but I do ignore—”

“ ** _I don’t care what you fucking do! You’re being courted by another alpha!_** ” Black Hat narrowed his eye, his pheromones getting stronger. It was almost unbearable. “ ** _And I am going to kill him._** ”

**_.  .  ._ **

Everything was an even bigger mess.

Flug was currently waiting in the car with Demencia by his side as they waited for Black Hat to get out of the manor and drive away. He acted mysterious, telling them to get in ‘the goddamn car’, as he called it, before walking towards his office without a word. Demencia was awfully quiet as she stared out the window, lost in her own world, and Flug also tried to focus on something else, but he simply couldn’t. Black Hat’s words were echoing in his head. He could remember that villain’s name… _Issok_. It was a strange name, but, with a name like his, he could accept that other unique names might come up as well. He had never heard of Issok before, but he could see that he was a werewolf. And he looked borderline vicious. The stare he was giving the camera in the selfie he sent Flug was creepy, like he was staring into the omega’s soul, waiting for his deepest secrets to be revealed. The doctor felt assaulted simply by remembering the photo existed. It was maddening. Finally, after taking five whole minutes, Black Hat left the manor, entered the car, and drove off (without using a seatbelt, of course).

“Where are we going?” Demencia finally asked. Black Hat’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“ **Q̸u͝͏̡i͞et.̵̕** ”

“This is kidnapping. I’m suing. Flug, call my lawyer.”

“Demencia!” Flug shout-whispered. He knew better than to further anger Black Hat, but it seemed like Demencia hadn’t learned her lesson from the ball yet. Upon noticing how desperate her brother sounded, Demencia shut up for the rest of the ride. Flug noticed his boss was taking his time driving around instead of simply using maximum speed to arrive to his destination as quickly as possible. Flug was deeply uncomfortable, and he tried to make himself as small as he could. Black Hat said he was going to kill Issok. Why was he taking them along? Demencia poked him. “What?” he whispered, trying to be silent (and hoping he wasn’t failing). Instead of speaking, she simply eyed Black Hat and then looked back at him again. Flug narrowed his eyes, having understood what she meant. Was she being serious? “No.”

“Come on,” Demencia whispered back. “He won’t hurt you.”

“He’s pretty capable of hurting _anyone_ ,” Flug explained, patience running thin. He didn’t need to explain this. It wasn’t outer science. “What makes you think I’m special?” Demencia rolled her eyes.

“Because you’re his omega.”

_… Ah._

Flug shuddered.

“ ** _We’re here,_** ” Black Hat announced as he abruptly stopped the car, throwing his two employees forward. Once they saw Black Hat getting out of the car, the two took it as their cue to follow, and so they mimicked his action. Flug looked at the house they stopped in front of curiously. It was the house labeled number 43, it seemed, and it was at the end of Hatsville. The doctor bit his lip. What villain would be stupid enough to dare mess with Black Hat while living in Hatsville? That was a death wish. Did Issok actually want to get mauled? Black Hat did not seem to care, however. He disintegrated the gates with a simple snap of fingers and slowly made his way to the front door. Demencia and Flug followed, knowing they didn’t have any other choice. Black Hat kicked the door down without any struggle and waltzed inside like he had done nothing wrong in his entire life. The siblings stared at each other in fear and confusion before hesitantly following.

They both analyzed the house.

It was old. Very old. And it seemed like it was ready to fall apart. The floor creaked, and probably so did the doors (not that Flug would know, for Black Hat simply kicked them down). The air was dusty and it made Flug sneeze once. His boss flinched at the sound but continued shortly after like nothing had happened. Both their scents were filling the room quickly, for there was barely any space for them to escape. Finally, after walking around for a decent amount of time, they reached an old but seemingly spacious basement. Black Hat walked in front, Demencia walked in the middle, and Flug was the one behind the two of them. He started feeling uneasy, knowing there was something wrong and that he had to fix it, but what? Well, there were many things, like the fact that they were invading someone’s private property as if they were going to the grocery store, but it was so much deeper than that. There was no way he could coherently explain it. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, all of those feelings intensified.

“ ** _I will kill him,_** ” Black Hat spoke, seemingly to no one in particular, before he turned to Flug. “ ** _Do not be afraid._** ” That phrase was not reassuring at all. Flug was about to ask how he knew when he realized he was releasing pheromones again. He really needed to buy scent blockers as soon as possible. He decided to lie nonetheless.

“I’m not a-afraid.”

Black Hat huffed as he spun on his heels and looked around. Flug could not believe how spacious that basement was. It was bigger than Black Hat’s living room, and that said a lot. The three stiffened when they heard movement coming from the corner. Black Hat started releasing pheromones that indicated he was ready to fight. The lump in the corner moved, slowly revealing itself. There were sharp fangs, dark fur, long claws, a wet nose, and alert eyes and ears. Flug’s eyes widened as he realized what he was seeing. Demencia let out an excited squeal. Black Hat did not move from where he stood, ready to fight, knowing it was going to happen eventually. The smell of angry alphas was almost unbearable for everyone involved.

The creature growled at them.

There was a pause.

Then it lunged.

There was no doubt this was the Issok from the photo. The two looked extremely similar. This couldn’t be a coincidence. But this Issok was feral, a creature filled with the purest of rages. Was he expecting them? Was he expecting _Black Hat_? Nobody knew but him, and that made the scientist nervous. Not knowing things made him nervous. Before anything could happen, Flug grabbed Demencia by the arm and dragged her to a corner, next to the stairs, in case they needed to make an emergency exit. She did not hesitate to follow, understanding the situation they were currently in was very dangerous. He just hoped she wouldn’t get bored again like she did on the masquerade ball. That was something he would not like to repeat. God, how did he keep getting in trouble like that? It made him want to give up on everything. Being the unluckiest being on the entire planet sucked and everyone knew.

Black Hat had predicted an outburst. He swiftly morphed into a creature of the same size as Issok and prepared for the battle. He wanted a _challenge_. With an astounding speed, he crashed against Issok and threw him back, but the other alpha did not seem to give up easily. He charged against Black Hat and bit him in the neck, not willing to let go. The eldritch let out a roar as he shook his body to get rid of Issok, and this made Flug wonder: why wasn’t he using his powers? He could kill that alpha in an instant with just a snap of fingers… So why—

Oh.

_Oh._

He wanted to prove to Flug that he did not rely solely on his powers, that he could also be a physical attacker. Well, he was succeeding, and now they had a fair battle on their hands. After one more shake, Black Hat managed to throw Issok off of him, but the werewolf had managed to yank out quite a bit of flesh from his neck. Unlike Flug had predicted, Black Hat did not heal the wound. He allowed it to bleed freely as his chest rumbled with a low growl, a warning. Issok growled back, showing his sharp teeth in an act of intimidation. The two alphas stared at each other for a while, waiting for the next move of their opponent. The air was drowning in angry alpha scent, and it made Flug jittery. He could barely handle this, but controlled himself. He knew he wasn’t able to stop a battle like this, and at this point it was better to wait for Black Hat to snap out of it himself, which he knew would happen eventually, but not now. For now, their boss was just a mess of instincts. Flug had been quite distracted when he saw Issok attack again, and almost let out a yelp that would’ve definitely earned him a few stares of disapproval.

Black Hat skillfully dodged and scratched the alpha on the back. The werewolf accidentally let out a whimper but quickly recomposed as he jumped on Black Hat. Their heads collided as they fought for dominance. The eldritch was winning, for he was naturally stronger, besides having his numerous powers by his side. Issok seemed somewhat experienced in battling, which was surprising for everyone, but he ended up committing one mistake that he should have avoided at all costs. He became desperate, knowing he was going to eventually lose, considering he was exhausted and Black Hat did not seem even close to being tired. And so he did the first thing he could think of.

He lunged at Flug.

He did not want to harm the omega, but he wasn’t going to let Black Hat claim him. He was not worthy of an omega, especially a male one. The smell of unclaimed omega made him shiver. He was very, very close, when suddenly something grabbed him by the tail and threw him back. Issok was slammed against the wall. He groaned as his tail throbbed in pain. He got up and turned around. Black Hat had definitely used his teeth. He was now standing in front of the omega in a fighting position, ready to protect him. His pupil was nothing more than a slit as he sharpened his claws and teeth. His neck was still bleeding, but he didn’t seem to care at all. Flug and Demencia watched everything with wide eyes, hoping they wouldn’t become the next targets. Growling, Issok charged towards Black Hat again, but the eldritch was prepared.

Once the werewolf was close enough, Black Hat bit him in the neck.

The attack had been deadly.

Issok stumbled back, dazed and bleeding profusely, but Black Hat refused to go easy on him simply because he was going to be dead in a few minutes. The eldritch pushed him down and held onto the alpha’s paw with his mouth before pulling violently. Issok let out a howl of pain that was ignored. In mere seconds, his paw was no longer connected to his body. Black Hat repeated the action with all of his limbs, watching with pure joy as Issok squirmed and howled under him. The smell of blood was almost nauseating for Flug as he struggled to remain calm. Flug and Demencia stared in awe at the absolute chaos in front of them with wide eyes and their hearts in their throats. Black Hat let out a low growl as he tore Issok's corpse apart, playing with the flesh like it was a new toy. When he was done, his eyes scanned the room in search for more enemies, having become nothing but a ball of instincts. His eye landed on the two— more specifically, on Demencia, and he let out another growl. This was a warning. “Demencia,” Flug swallowed as he slowly stood up, raising his arms to indicate he meant no harm. The alpha knew, however. “Don't move. Don't speak. Don't breathe.” The hybrid was far too shocked to respond. She could only silently pray as she watched her brother slowly walk towards the beast, towards his doom.

Black Hat's morphed chest was heaving. His gaze flicked between threat and omega, not wanting them to collide. Good, they were getting further apart. He narrowed his eye. Why was an omega walking toward him, a raging alpha? No… No, that was _his_ omega, the omega he was trying to protect. He had to protect his omega. His omega had to be protected. He growled quietly, glaring at Demencia from the corner of his eye, wanting to tear her apart like he had done with Issok.

Flug took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but it was almost impossible. His body shook with every step, knowing Black Hat was warily watching his every move, hoping to find a pattern so that he could figure out his next strategy. And so Flug developed a strategy of his own. “Alpha…?” He noticed how the eldritch's eye became nothing more than a slit as he approached Flug, sniffing him. The omega tried to put on a comforting scent to indicate he was fine. He knew Black Hat had already identified him as his omega, so all he needed to do was reassure him. “It's me... It's your omega.”

“Mm,” Black Hat rumbled, and breathed in the sweet scent and his body visibly relaxed, if only a little. He turned up his nose to sniff, and took several steps toward the source.

Flug tried not to panic as Black Hat walked towards him with heavy steps. He reeked of blood and strong alpha pheromones, but something told his inner omega that he wasn’t going to hurt him, that he wasn’t dangerous. For once in his life, Flug didn’t know whether to trust his mind or his instincts, but went with the latter. It was necessary at this point. Once the eldritch was close enough, the doctor tentatively extended a hand to touch his face. Black Hat did not seem fond of the idea at first, but then allowed the scientist to do whatever he pleased. Flug, understanding that he was now allowed to touch his boss’s face, caressed his face carefully. The corners of his mouth twitched when he saw the eldritch visibly relax. “It’s ok… I’m safe…” he murmured, purring slightly to soothe the alpha. He needed Black Hat to know he was fine, because this whole mess started because of him. He gently took Black Hat’s face and pressed their foreheads together. He could hear the eldritch purr contently. “Your omega is safe.”

That was enough reassurance for Black Hat.

Demencia slowly rose from the floor, and stiffened when Black Hat saw her. He growled warningly, but Flug noticed. “No, no…” he scolded lightly, directing the eldritch’s eye towards him. “Look at me, ok?” Black Hat’s muscles relaxed almost instantly as he leaned forward to sniff Flug one more time, taking in as much of the omega’s sweet scent as he could. “Focus on me, alpha, only on me.” And he relaxed even more after that, focusing on his omega, only on his omega and nobody else.

They were going to be ok.

**_.  .  ._ **

Their return back home was pretty… _exciting_ , to say the least.

Because Black Hat was unable to drive due to still being trapped in the vortex of alpha instincts, and since Flug didn’t know how to drive, Demencia had to be their driver. She, of course, broke every possible law and drove like a maniac. Because this was Black Hat’s car, no cop even thought about stopping her, and she was pretty happy about it. Black Hat’s purring prevented Flug from having a heart attack. The eldritch, after having mauled another alpha for daring to send a lewd picture of himself, had become pretty affectionate. He (in his normal form) nuzzled Flug’s cheek, drowning the omega in his spicy scent. Flug would be lying if he said he didn’t find Black Hat’s scent addictive, because he did, and he hated it. Omegas were naturally drawn to alphas’ scents, and vice versa, so it was nothing new, but it made him feel ashamed nonetheless, because this was his _boss_. The man was so out of his mind that he probably wasn’t even aware of what he was doing or who he was cuddling with. Flug didn’t know if that should worry or relieve him.

Once they arrived home unscathed, surprisingly, Flug started heading towards his lab, because he really needed to finish his invention before Black Hat snapped out of his stupor and demanded to know where the next product was, but the eldritch had other ideas. He grabbed the scientist by the arm, making the omega jump.

“Follow.”

It was just barely an alpha command.

Flug decided not to enrage his boss any further, and so he followed with his tail between his legs. Black Hat walked up the stairs and towards his room, and Flug felt the dread set in. What was going to happen? Was Black Hat going to scold him for touching him like that? Punish him? Had he snapped out of his stupor already? He had so, so many questions. The eldritch unlocked the door and allowed him to enter the room. The doctor hesitated for half a second before realizing who he was dealing with and stepping inside. The room, of course, smelled like him. It was fascinating. The curtains were open, allowing the room to be bathed in the warm sunlight. Without realizing what he was doing, the doctor took a deep breath, allowing himself to appreciate his boss’s spicy scent. His eyes widened when he realized what he had done and he flushed, trying not to bury his face in his hands. Why was he suddenly acting like this? He didn’t like Black Hat! He had done that and called himself ‘his omega’ so that the demon could calm down, of course, it was all part of his plan. So why did he act like he felt that way? The eldritch was horrifying and evil and mean and attractive and—

Black Hat gently closed the door and walked up to the confused scientist before hugging him from behind. He found the omega’s yelp adorable as he wrapped his arms around his waist. “S-sir…?!” his omega asked, confused, as Black Hat buried his face in his shoulder, trying to smell more of his delicious scent. How could a human produce such a sweet scent? It sounded impossible, but it happened, and Black Hat wanted _more_. He wanted that omega all to himself. Nobody would touch him. Nobody would look at him. _He’s mine_ , he thought.

“Come.”

Black Hat let go of Flug, took his coat off, and walked up to his bed, sitting on it. He raised an eyebrow when the omega didn’t follow, however. He was frozen in place, seemingly trying to process the situation. What was happening? “Obey.” Flug blinked as he took a step towards the bed, but hugged himself, feeling the dread set in, stronger than before. This wasn’t right. _This wasn’t right_. Black Hat wasn’t on his right mind. He was being controlled by his instincts.

_This isn’t real._

“I command you to come.”

Flug’s heart leapt to his throat as his body moved on its own towards the bed. Black Hat had lost his patience. The doctor decided not to snap out of it. He wouldn’t dare. He carefully sat on the bed, waiting for the eldritch’s next move, when he was suddenly dragged down with a yelp. He watched, heart thundering inside of his ribcage, as the eldritch pinned him down, their faces inches apart. They stood like that for a minute, and Flug tried to understand what was going on. Was this some kind of ritual? He had never heard of anything like that. He felt defenseless as the demon had both his wrists pinned tightly, and there was nothing he could do with his legs. He couldn’t even read Black Hat’s expression, but his pupil was still nothing more than a slit. That scared Flug. He was scared. He should be scared. Black Hat had too much power over him. The doctor stiffened when he saw Black Hat move forward.

The eldritch licked his scent gland.

Flug let out a squeak, surprised by the action and the rough tongue running against his skin. He sighed, trying to relax and find some sense in Black Hat’s actions, when he felt something sharp pressing against his skin, something very sharp… something that felt like Black Hat’s _teeth_. And everything fell into place. Black Hat defending him against another alpha. Black Hat being overly protective of him. Black Hat commanding him around. Black Hat licking and then pressing his teeth against his scent glands… It wasn’t rough like he was expecting. Quite the opposite, in fact, Black Hat had been rather gentle. That did nothing to prevent the omega from having a mental breakdown, however.

Black Hat was going to claim him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I interrupt your paperhat to bring you more angst.
> 
> I wasn't planning on writing any paperhat in this chapter, but something convinced me I HAD to do it, and so it happened. Issok's name origin was a fun story. Whenever Jasper and I laugh we do the keyboard-smash thing, so mine came out something like sf heufhissok and we try to find possible OC names. When I saw Issok I thought 'this is a good OC name', and thus Issok was born. Too bad he only lived for one chapter lmao
> 
> And if you want to know the chapter title's origins, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRwOyV-0ZjI&index=2&list=PLinP_vKjaOjGKz_BmdieGhZ37fsVycnTu (yes, it has english subtitles)
> 
> Peace!


	18. They don't really care about us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flug finds out there's three things he hates the most: segenderism, idiotic pick-up lines, and dad jokes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long, time huh? Well, I can explain some of my absence.
> 
> First, a lot happened this year. My grandma died, which left my mom devastated. And then I had a good ol' eating disorder, and then depression came. I started taking meds, and got better, but had a relapse, which led to me being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Now I've also been diagnosed with PCOS. After that, my dog got really sick and had to be hospitalized. We all thought she was gonna die, and she was. Apparently my mom had given her some chocolate cookies, thinking they wouldn't be poisonous since they're not chocolate themselves. Well, that had been a mistake on her part, but she's never giving our dog any kind of human food again.
> 
> Anyway, this is not a vent, it's more of an explanation. And also an explanation as to my behavior recently, with the whole "trying to commit suicide" thing. I am now mentally stable and will not be attempting suicide again. Anyway, I've been working on this chapter on and off for about two months now, and I apologize for the wait. Quite unfortunately, real life issues come first. And no, I will not be abandoning this fanfic in favor for another fanfic I'm working on, which is a slice of life fanfic based on a movie I adore.
> 
> Also a warning: this chapter hasn't been beta-read yet because my beta didn't have a lot of time in his hands, but as soon as he manages to beta-read the chapter I will correct any and all errors, so apologies to any mistakes in advance!
> 
> And now that leaves us with the most important part,  
> enjoy the chapter.

Flug’s heart skipped a beat.

He thought being yelled at by his boss was bad, but being claimed by him against his will was a goddamn nightmare. He thought about various escape methods, ways to distract the eldritch before anything could be done, to avoid sealing his fate, but he came up with absolutely nothing. Struggling would do nothing and would make him look desperate (and he was). It’s not like it mattered, though. He could already feel his desperation in his scent which was rapidly spreading throughout the room, mixed with Black Hat’s spicy alpha scent. The eldritch seemed to be savoring every second he spent together with Flug, not wanting to let go of him. He teased the omega slightly, pressing his teeth against the younger man’s pale skin and coating the area with saliva. This wasn’t only teasing, though. Black Hat needed Flug to trust him. He wanted Flug to trust him. He wanted to claim the omega as his so much that it was almost unbearable. He nuzzled Flug’s neck, leaving little kisses here and there, trying to soothe the omega into trusting him. Every action came naturally. There was no longer past, present, or future. There was only him and his omega. He heard the omega under him whimper and he took it as a sign to continue with his actions instead of what it had actually been: a sign of distress.

He gently licked the scientist’s scent gland with his forked tongue, where his future bond mark would rest, savoring the doctor’s exquisite taste. Black Hat analyzed his work carefully. His saliva would facilitate the claiming process. God, he wanted to do it now. He just wanted to sink his fangs into Flug’s soft flesh and be able to finally be connected to him, to be able to feel his emotions, and, in return, it would allow the omega to feel his, to feel how he was loved and wanted. Black Hat purred contentedly as he nuzzled the doctor’s neck, giving it another kiss. No words were exchanged between them, and the eldritch was okay with that. Flug’s silence was just as beautiful as his words. He slowly kissed his way to the other’s scent gland and teased the flesh with his teeth. And then he prepared to finally claim his omega—

 _SNAP_.

Something swiftly wrapped itself around his left foot and dragged him out of the bed and onto the floor. If this were in any other circumstance, Black Hat would have easily resisted, but he was too surprised and caught up on his own world of instincts to realize and acknowledge what was happening until he was on the floor. Black Hat turned around in alarm, expecting a hero or even Demencia, instincts telling him to attack immediately. Instead, he found himself face-to-face with Lil’ Jack. She hissed threateningly at him, something she had never done. Despite being very dangerous, the gigantic snake had never done anything remotely threatening towards him (damn right! He was her owner, after all). Why was she acting like this? What had he done? Did Demencia forget to feed her again? Oh, he would kill that girl. Even then, if she had forgotten to feed Lil’ Jack, the snake would’ve hunted something herself… What was going on in that snake’s head?

Flug had his eyes closed, not wanting to see the outcome of this, when the body on top of him stumbled off the bed. He watched, surprised, as Lil’ Jack confronted her owner, tail wrapped around his foot. He didn’t know what would come next, however, and he didn’t know if he did want to know the answer to that either. He watched, helpless, as the snake suddenly stood proudly for a minute, glare equally as terrifying and paralyzing as her owner’s, and then slid towards Flug. The scientist held his breath when she started wrapping her body around his. At first he thought she was going to suffocate him, but then realized that her grip wasn’t strong enough to kill or even make him uncomfortable. Besides, why would she kill him? She had no reason to, unless she wanted to prove to Black Hat that she was as dangerous as he was, but even that explanation sounded farfetched. And then he came to the final realization, the most important one that explained everything that had happened just now. Lil’ Jack wasn’t trying to kill him for Black Hat.

She was trying to protect _him_ from _Black Hat_.

If he weren’t stupefied by the idea of a giant snake protecting him as if he were her offspring, he would’ve been flattered. Lil’ Jack had gone against Black Hat, her owner, because of him. She had managed to enter the room without either of them noticing, and had noticed Flug’s displeasure in his scent. It was enough for her to understand what was going on and take Black Hat away from Flug. Not many people knew about Lil’ Jack, but those who did assumed she was a mindless reptile. Flug would often chuckle and reply, “That role has already been filled by Demencia.” And yet they would carry on with that mindset. It was frustrating.

Flug snapped out of his line of thought when Black Hat stood up. He stared at Flug for a second, and, despite wanting to avoid eye contact as much as possible at this moment, he couldn’t stop himself from staring right into Black Hat’s eye. He could see something reflected in there, a strange feeling that he never thought he’d see in his boss… confusion, perhaps…? Just as the doctor felt like he was getting near the answer, Black Hat turned around and walked out of the room, leaving Lil’ Jack and Flug alone. After sensing that the danger was gone, the snake slowly unwrapped herself from Flug’s body, giving him some space and allowing him to breathe.

“What just…?” he asked himself, looking at his own hands.

He had almost been forced into a life that he did not want. He was more than thankful that Lil’ Jack had been there to save him from this horrible destiny, but this raised even more questions. How did she know what was going on? And why did she side with him and not her owner? He wanted to ask, but she was clearly unable to answer… Well, he couldn’t think about that, he had to think about Black Hat. The eldritch looked like he was drowning in his own instincts. How could this happen, considering he was more often than not in control of himself? What had triggered this sudden change of behavior? It seemed like he had gotten angry about the lewd pictures his scientist was receiving on his phone, but he didn’t know there was more than just one. God, what would he do if he found out? He didn’t want to know. He then realized that he needed his phone immediately. If Black Hat found it before him, and saw the thousands of messages he was receiving, things would get much worse. He would spend the entire night blocking all of those accounts if this meant he could avoid this kind of interaction again. He shuddered while thinking about it.

Flug’s fingers delicately ran over his shoulder, which was still slightly damp with Black Hat’s saliva. Oh, he had been so glad he wasn’t bonded. He didn’t really think of his boss that way. Besides, the workspace would be very awkward, especially when Black Hat snapped out of his stupor only to realize he was now emotionally chained to a lesser creature, and said creature being one of his underlings, no less! He would be furious and go into a homicidal rage.

“Why am I still here…?” he found himself asking after a few seconds of absolute silence. There were only him and his thoughts. Lil’ Jack had already left (just as slyly as she had entered). Slowly, just to make sure this wasn’t a nightmare, Flug stood up and left the room. He could still feel the alpha’s smell clinging to his clothes and skin, and the saliva on his shoulder wasn’t helping. He wanted to take a shower, but he knew he needed to do something first, something more important. What was it again? He had to remember. It was important…

Ah, yes, the phone.

He had to delete those messages— all of them.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Flug simply stood in the middle of the hallway like a statue, trying to suppress an anxiety attack. This was fine. He was fine. He could do this. Perhaps he would be able to create a device that could do the work for him. He’d done much more complicated gadgets in the past. This would be a walk in the park for him. The real problem would be the secrecy. He didn’t know if his boss was going to want to avoid him or not, and Demencia couldn’t be trusted to keep her mouth shut even if her life depended on it. He had to think about this carefully. But there was an even more important question: where was his phone? When they had waited for Black Hat in the car, he had seen Black Hat with his phone in his hands. Was it in his office? Should he go check? Wait, he couldn’t do this. What if Black Hat was there? After what the two of them had currently gone through, he probably didn’t want to see him. Well, the feeling is mutual, Flug thought.

He had to get started someday.

Flug did need to think and act logically instead of entering every room of the manor like a lost child. He needed to retrace his steps. Other than in Black Hat’s hands, where had he last seen his phone? Oh, in his room, of course. He started heading towards his room, but very carefully. He analyzed his surroundings to make sure Black Hat was out of sight, although that would definitely be pointless considering the eldritch had many powers, invisibility included. Still, he let out a sigh of relief he didn’t know he had been holding when his hand landed on his doorknob. The coldness of the metal was almost soothing. The turned the knob and entered his room. Black Hat’s pheromones were still there, unsurprisingly. It made Flug cringe. Ignoring this, he focused on his task. First, he searched for the phone on his drawers, and then on his bed, and on his wardrobe, but he had found absolutely nothing. Disappointed, he thought about his next course of action. There was only one more logical place where his phone could be.

And that place was Black Hat’s office.

 _Oh, I so don’t want to do this_ , he thought, but forced himself to suck it up and march towards the office, closing the door to his room as he left. He walked quickly, as if Black Hat could pop up in front of him at any minute if he went any slower. Finally reaching his destination, he slowly opened the door, praying to every entity in existence that Black Hat wasn’t there. Thankfully one of the entities seemed to have heard his pitiful mental begging because he was not there at all. Knowing he could go inside at any moment, Flug told himself he had to be fast. He searched inside the drawers and shelves, but the phone seemed to be nowhere. “Please don’t do this to me,” Flug found himself murmuring. He couldn’t lose his phone and the thousands of dick pics it contained and that needed to be erased as soon as possible. His heart started hammering inside his chest as he searched more and more, making sure to not leave a mess behind so Black Hat wouldn’t suspect he had been there. And then, just when he was about to give up and head towards the lab…

 _Bzzt_.

Flug’s heart skipped a beat.

That was definitely his phone.

He followed the sound and pressed his ear against the wall, where it seemed to be coming from. How in the seven hounds of hell was his phone trapped on the wall? What kind of sorcery had Black Hat used to do that? Oh, of course, he could literally bend reality and it’d be like a walk in the park for him; of course he would be able to put his phone inside the wall. Flug took a step back and gently pressed his hand against the wall, exactly where he thought his phone was located, and, as soon as he pushed lightly, the wall retreated before going forward like a drawer. Flug fearfully looked inside before locating his phone. Thankfully, that was the only thing that seemed to be in there. He was glad. He didn’t want to find a hideous monster ready to bite his head off. He snatched the phone from the wall-drawer and pushed it back in its place in the wall. After making sure there were no traces of him being there, he left the office and power-walked (although he would’ve definitely called it ‘anxious-walked’) to his room.

As soon as he stepped inside his room, he locked the door shut and jumped face-first onto his bed. God, he did it. He got his phone back and he wasn’t dead. He felt his muscles relaxing. That is, until his phone buzzed again, and he reminded himself of the task ahead. He sat upright and, taking a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst, he started his phone. It was trembling in his hands as he typed the password and clicked on his messaging app. He knew there were a lot of messages, but he wasn’t prepared for the sentence his eyes had landed on.

**_"You have 3674 new messages.”_ **

He almost had a heart attack there and then.

He blinked once, twice, three times, just to make sure his dyslexia wasn’t messing up his brain and multiplying the number in his phone by a thousand, but no, this was right. Just how many villains were at that ball?! He knew for a fact that there weren’t that many. So how had other villains who weren’t at the ball been able to get ahold of his phone number? And how had they found out his phone number anyway? He was very, very secretive about things like these, and he would never willingly give a stranger his personal phone number. He would either give them a fake number or the company’s number, depending on where the conversation was heading. Demencia was usually the one who would deal with them later anyway, and he considered it a payback for all of the broken materials and inventions in his lab. Although sometimes 5.0.5 had to deal with them as well, so he felt sorry for the bear. He stared at his phone’s screen, the wish to procrastinate becoming stronger than anything.

_No!_

He had to focus.

Sighing, Flug began the painful process of clicking on every stranger’s profile and blocking them. He wanted to be on his lab, working on his newest projects and barely meeting deadlines like usual, but he just had to be doing this instead. He still didn’t know how those villains had gotten ahold of his number, and that was the worst part. He also had to be extra careful so he wouldn’t block anyone important. Not that he had that many important people in his phone, of course. Still, knowing how lucky he was, he could accidentally block the president of the United States or something like that. He scoffed. The thought was ridiculous, and he was stupid for thinking something like that, but he felt the need to distract himself while he blocked all of those numbers. Flug wanted to put his headphones on and listen to some music, but he was worried about the possibility of either Demencia or Black Hat walking in while he was distracted. Since he was already using his vision, his hearing was the only thing he could use to detect their presence, or one of them, at least, considering how quiet (and deadly) Black Hat could be. Flug sighed and shook his head.

Focus…

Just as he clicked on another person’s profile, ready to press the ‘block’ button, his door knob turned. Flug’s blood ran cold as he froze, resorting to simply staring at the door with his mouth open, not daring to breathe, trying to come up with of a route of escape. The only places in his room, however, were the window and the vents, and he was not willing to escape like Demencia (as she would clearly consider both options as viable). The doorknob turned again, snapping him out of his line of thought, and then he remembered he had locked the door. Flug sighed in relief. That was one less problem to worry about. He stared at the phone in his shaky hands, wondering what he was doing with his life. Lowering his head, he buried his face in his knees and groaned, phone long forgotten. Had he been earlier than Demencia to get the mail, he would have avoided this entirely. Black Hat would still be screaming and harassing him like he usually did when he thought he was a beta, and he wouldn’t have his freedom limited. And what had that accomplished? Absolutely nothing but pain for both the alpha and the omega in question, that was what. Flug started shaking, both in fear and rage. He did not want this. He did not want this. He did not—

_Thud. Thud._

“Fucking hell,” Flug found himself murmuring, not moving from his self-pitying position. Of course it had been Demencia who had tried to open the door. She never knocked first. And, well, neither did Black Hat, but he wouldn’t have tried to open the door and then given up; he would have simply phased through the door like a ghost, giving his scientist a heart attack. He was still surprised that Demencia didn’t just break the door down, although going through the vents to reach his room would make much more sense.

_Thud. Thud. THUD. THUD._

She was getting closer. Flug could already feel his pheromones changing, indicating his very evident distress. He swore to himself at the age of seventeen that, if his hair wasn’t already white, it would’ve been by now considering all of the stress he had gone through. He did not want to talk to anyone right now, especially Demencia. He was glad that she had somewhat changed attitudes since he came out as an omega, but she still remained her careless, childish, and irritating self nonetheless. Flug sighed. There was nothing he could do, however. Demencia was also stronger than him physically, and, being a beta, the omega command wouldn’t affect her in the slightest. The scientist shivered. He hated that thought. He did not want to end up like those alphas that abused the alpha command for their own gain. He swore to himself that, from now on, he would only use it for self-defense and nothing else.

**_THUD._ **

And then Demencia fell from the ceiling like a bird that just had a seizure mid-flight. Despite that, she seemed unharmed and got up relatively quickly.

“Sup, bro,” she coughed, shaking off the dust from her clothes. That made Flug wonder how dirty those vents were, and if she was ever bothered by that— or even worse, if she could ever get sick from the dust and germs that crawled in that place. He had worked for Black Hat for two years, and he had never seen Demencia get sick. She seemed to have a stronger immune system than most. He had seen her eat countless bugs, chug down a bunch of chemicals mixed together like some sort of fucked up cocktail, and even bathe in bleach (because Black Hat had asked her to), and she hadn’t gotten as much as a stomachache. Flug asked himself if that was even fair.

“So… crazy day, huh?” Flug blinked at her. It seemed like she was just as uncomfortable as he was.

“State your business,” the omega managed to say. Demencia rolled her eyes.

“Stop using those big, fancy words of yours, kid. I’m no president. Anyway, I saw Blackie dragging you to that room and I was wondering if he did anything to you,” she explained while waving her hand dismissively, walking closer and closer to Flug, who tried to back away as much as possible. “I was worried about you, you know.”

The doctor rolled his eyes and went back to staring at his phone. It’s not like he wanted to ignore Demencia, but he really didn’t have anything to say to her at that moment.

“Hey, come on, are you mad at me?” she asked, poking his cheek. One of Flug’s eyes twitched.

“I’m not mad at you,” he finally answered, re-adjusting himself so that Demencia could sit next to him. She already knew he was ready to rant. “I’m just tired. I’m tired of having to pretend nothing has changed while enduring the obvious changes, both in Black Hat’s behavior and how a handful of villains will see me now. It seems like the rumors of my secondary gender have already spread, and I’m getting these sick messages left and right. I can’t block all of these numbers— not forever. And I’m sure Black Hat will find out that Issok wasn’t the only villain that wanted to be noticed by me, and he’ll go on a murdering spree, blinded by instincts and eldritch hatred. And then, when he finally snaps out of it, he’ll either blame me for doing this to him or try to claim me again, and I don’t know if Lil’ Jack will be fast enough to save me the next time, if there is ever one, that is.” He paused to take a deep breath and stare at the phone in his hands. He remembered his words, everything he had said to Black Hat about how he didn’t want to be claimed… It was true, wasn’t it? He could fend for himself… But what if he was wrong?

“What do you think I should do, Demencia?” He couldn’t believe he was asking her for advice of all people, but he was willing to listen to anyone at this point. He wanted to hear someone other than his own self.

“Do you think clouds taste like cotton candy?”

_Snap._

Flug growled. He stood up and shot Demencia an intense glare. “Is that it? I’ve opened myself to you, something I never do, and you still pretend this is a joke? Have you not seen enough? My life is on the line. It’s always been. I…! I… I…” Flug started trailing off as he faltered. His whole body started shaking. He sat back on the bed and put his phone down to clutch his hair and bury his fingers in his scalp. It hurt. He pushed them further. It hurt even more. It was like a vicious cycle that couldn’t be broken. At that exact moment, self-harm was the only coping mechanism he could use, and even that didn’t work. Demencia had fallen quiet. No words were exchanged between the two of them for a while. Flug’s shaking intensified. He felt like he was going to cry soon and he didn’t want to do this in front of Demencia anymore. It was already pretty clear that he was a weakling, so he didn’t need to keep confirming this. And then…

“All I want to say…” Demencia started. “…is that they don’t really care about us.”

Flug looked up, giving her an odd look. She just smiled in return. “Look, when life gives you the middle finger, you give life two middle fingers back. I might not be a master of geopolitical shit or whatever, but I know that there are probably more omegas out there that are going through that same stuff. But there is one difference between you and them.” She paused, obviously expecting the doctor to point out said difference. The problem was… he didn’t know. God, if he knew everything, it would be so much easier. He would know what to do. He would know what to say. He would know how not to be a weakling and actually make a difference. Demencia groaned. “Come on, you know it.”

“I don’t,” Flug replied with a resigned shake of his head.

“Two words,” Demencia said with a smile, raising two fingers. “You’re _free_.”

And suddenly those two words opened a new door for him. He had never realized it, but… Most famous omegas were forcefully bonded to people they barely even knew, including his old best friend, Rosa. But, unlike them, he was free. He wasn’t bonded to anyone, and he was very loud and clear about his wish to be able to choose a mate. How could he not have seen this before? “I never realized this…” he murmured, letting go of his hair and turning to Demencia, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Thank you. That helped a lot.” The hybrid was going to respond when Flug’s phone buzzed again. He groaned. “I can’t believe this is still happening.” He couldn’t have a moment of peace, could he? He knew he was doomed as soon as he presented as an omega. He picked the phone up and stared at the newest message, afraid to open it. It was like just reading it would curse him forever, even though he’d seen much worse things during his life. Demencia, who had been oblivious to the whole thing until recently, looked at the screen and Flug almost — almost — missed the wicked grin that made its way to her lips.

“So… Are you up to having some fun?” she asked with a mischievous voice tone. Flug narrowed his eyes. God, he knew that grin too well, as well as the sparkle in her eyes. That sparkle never lied, and he wasn’t up to getting in more trouble with Black Hat.

“Define _fun_ ,” he demanded.

“Well…” Demencia started, “Those guys bothering you via phone are annoying, right? And it’s even more annoying having to block them, right? So why don’t we mess with them for a bit?” Flug narrowed his eyes. This was enough of an answer for her. “Oh, come on. You’ve been holed up in this mansion since Black Hat found out you’re an omega. The least you can do is mess with a few alphas’ heads. It won’t hurt.”

“Maybe for you, but he’ll drag me into another adventure of vengeance towards all alphas that I’ve messaged back,” Flug pointed out. His phone buzzed again.

“He doesn’t have to know,” Demencia purred, her grin widening.

“Dem, this is Black Hat we’re talking about. He knows everything.”

“And yet he didn’t know you were an omega until recently,” Demencia retorted. Flug opened his mouth, wanting to answer, but he had nothing. She had a point. Perhaps Black Hat didn’t know everything, after all. Flug bit his lip. Should he agree to it? He did want to do something fun, but the last ‘fun’ he had involved him desperately running back to the manor after his last scent blocker’s effect ended. So, what would his choice end up being? Well, taking his mind off Black Hat wouldn’t hurt, would it?

“Fine,” he sighed, and Demencia cheered. “What do you suggest?”

Just as he said that, his phone buzzed again. He bit his lip, resisting the urge to turn the device off and go to sleep forever. Still, he was intrigued by Demencia’s suggestion.

Speaking of the devil, she eyed the phone and her grin widened, almost splitting her face in half. “Give me that,” she demanded, and Flug barely had time to react before she snatched his phone from his hands. “Hm, Faye Tality, huh? What a shitty name,” Demencia commented. “Her pick-up line is shitty too. What a surprise. I guess what you say is true: two wrongs don’t make a right. I mean, except for the time they created chips on accident. Boy, was that one hell of a ride, am I right?” she nudged Flug, who just eyed her, wondering what her point was. What she was saying didn’t even make sense… Well, some of it did, considering the creation of potato chips was an accident just like 5.0.5 had been, but that wasn’t what mattered right now. Demencia cleared her throat. “Look at what she just sent you.”

_**Faye Tality: babe, feel my shirt. You know what that is?  
Faye Tality: mate material :wink:** _

Flug gagged. Demencia chuckled, because the sight was definitely hilarious. “I know, right? Anyway, if you can’t tear them apart in real life, tear their egos apart. Like this…” And she started typing something on his phone. At that moment, Flug began to worry. What was she doing, replying to a stranger like that? Black Hat would have their souls on a silver plate if he found out they were doing something like that. Was he even in the mansion anymore? If he wasn’t, Flug would be somewhat relieved. “Done!” Demencia suddenly exclaimed. “Now feast on those delicious tears.” She handed him his phone. Flug looked at what she had just sent with his heart hammering inside his ribcage.

**_You: too clingy. NEXT._ **

Unfortunately for the scientist, he couldn’t suppress a snort.

“I can’t believe you did this,” he said. “Black Hat is going to kill us.”

“He’s not finding out anytime soon,” Demencia replied nonchalantly, like she was confident Black Hat wouldn’t find out, and then looked at Flug’s phone. Her eyes widened. “Oh, look, she just blocked you!” The doctor looked down. Faye Tality had indeed blocked him. “Guess she couldn’t live with the shame of being turned down by an omega.”

“I guess you could say that…” Flug sighed. “Why are they sending me pick-up lines anyway? Are they really expecting it to work?”

“Desperation makes you do stupid shit,” Demencia pointed out. “Remember how I acted around Black Hat?”

“Oh.” Flug looked down at his phone and checked the next message. Unfortunately for him, it was another pick-up line. “Should I…?” he asked, more to himself than to Demencia, but she heard it anyways.

“Hell yes!” the hybrid yelled. “Just do it!”

“Alright, alright, there’s no need to shout,” Flug said, trying to calm her down. He stared at the phone nervously. “I just don’t know if I can do this. I’ve never been the type to insult anyone unless I was really angry. I guess it’s just how I was born, you know…” He bit his lip. An omega is always an omega no matter what, his father’s voice echoed in his mind. This wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t. Demencia could do anything without an inner holding her back, but he had to follow his inner omega’s advice if he wanted to survive. Why weren’t things simple like being a beta? Demencia had reptile powers, but, besides that, she was average. She did not have scents and heats and inners. She was her own lord, not held back by instincts like Flug. Of course, his instincts had helped him and his secondary gender survive for billions of years, and he was grateful for that, but, at the same time, it was what was preventing him from living. At the moment, all he was doing was… surviving, and nothing more. He wanted to go to the streets without having to check if his scent was indiscernible. He wanted to live his life without worrying about being kidnapped by the government or claimed by a random stranger on the streets. God, when would his suffering end?

“Oh, come on, bro; don’t you get all sad on me again,” Demencia groaned.

“What?” Flug snapped out of his melancholic trance to look at his adopted sister.

“You just looked at the phone and started getting all sad out of nowhere.” The hybrid took a deep breath. “Look, whenever you start thinking ‘oh shit, I’m just some poor omega, blah, blah, blah’, yell out loud: fuck you! Yelling obscenities always makes me feel much better.” Flug raised an eyebrow. “I mean, the worst that could happen is that people might think you’re crazy. But, I mean, you are Black Hat’s mad scientist, right? You’ll do that title justice.”

“I appreciate the, dare I call it, advice, Dem, but I’d rather not have people think I have a severe case of coprolalia,” Flug replied while he stared at his phone, trying to come up with a comeback. Anything would suffice, but his mind had blanked.

“The poop-loving thing?”

“What?”

“You know, that copro-thingy,” Demencia explained, waving her hand dismissively. “It’s about people who love poop, right? Why would anyone assume you like poop?” She paused, and then narrowed her eyes. “Do you like poop?”

“Wh— No! Just… when did this conversation go wrong?” He buried his face in his hands and groaned. And then, after he had calmed down, he took a deep breath. “Demencia, what you’re saying is coprophilia. Coprolalia is involuntary swearing. Please don’t mix those two terms up. Ever."

“I’ll consider your request, but I make no promises.”

“This is why Jesus hasn’t come back yet,” Flug grumbled as he stared at the message. “Actually, now that you’ve talked about my profession, I know what I want to type.” And so he started typing. Demencia, instead of trying to see what he came up with, decided to be patient — something she seldom did — and wait until he was done. Flug, on the other hand, was a little divided between doing this and humoring Demencia or doing the right thing and blocking the stranger he was responding to. The latter seemed like the most logical option, and he wouldn’t get in much trouble with Black Hat, nor would he be the cause of massive murder amongst the villain community, but Demencia’s offer of having at least a few moments of fun was very tempting. Holding his breath, he sent the text. “I’m—” Before he could finish his sentence, Demencia snatched the phone from his hands.

“Let me see it!”

 _Staker: A scientist, huh?_  
Staker: You can play with my dick and say you’re practicing anatomy.  
You: Anatomy on a molecular level is beyond my expertise.

“Black Hat should rightfully kill this one,” Demencia murmured, suppressing a giggle. Flug cracked a small smile. “Nice roast, though. I can practically hear his hopes, dreams, and pride shattering from here.” The phone buzzed. “Oh, looks like they don’t give up, do they?"

Flug and Demencia checked the new message out.

**_Staker: You little shit. I know where you live._ **

Flug knew right from the start that the man had a threatening aura around him, but he didn’t realize he would get aggressive so soon. Demencia rolled her eyes as she started typing a response without even asking Flug for his input. It was his phone and dignity on the line, after all. But, after everything they’d been through together, Flug trusted Demencia with this. He didn’t know why. It was a fact that you couldn’t trust Demencia with anything that didn’t involve blood and carnage, but he trusted her to act like a sassy version of him for a stranger on his phone. He then realized that, whoever this person was, they were walking on thin ice. Black Hat was already overprotective without anyone doing anything at all— all you needed to do was simply be an alpha and exist close to Flug and he would hunt you down and rip you out limb by limb. If he found out a stranger threatened Flug on his phone… The scientist didn’t even know what he’d do. He also didn’t know what was worse according to Black Hat’s point of view: courting or threatening. It was probably the latter, but he still had his doubts. Issok hadn’t done anything but send a lewd picture and, while he should definitely be reprimanded for what he had done, being sent to hell by Black Hat wasn’t exactly Flug’s idea of ‘reprimand’.

He snapped out of his trance when Demencia handed him his phone with a bored expression. “Those villains nowadays get dumber and dumber, don’t they?” Flug ignored her comment for now and looked at what she sent the villain, hoping it wasn’t too bad.

_**You: literally everyone knows where I live. It’s a giant hat, for fuck’s sake.** _

“I even used a comma to make it sound more like you,” Demencia said with a wink. Flug rolled his eyes at her.

“Thank you. That was really helpful,” he commented sarcastically. His eyes drifted to his phone, and he panicked upon realizing Staker was typing again. Demencia put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him that everything was okay and that he had nothing to worry about. The question was: did he really have nothing to worry about? Ever since he was a child, Flug had had something to worry about. At first it had been proper behavior, and then his grades, languages, music, and then his presentation as an omega came along and everything fell apart. He suddenly had to worry about being taken away by the government, as well as being sold to Goraidh Keir, and then surviving on the streets as a wandering, hidden omega. It was like he was a table with one leg, constantly struggling to balance between everything he was doing. After being taken in by Black Hat, things managed to get better and worse at the same time. Now he was living in the manor of an incredibly aggressive alpha while being known as a beta, and he had to hide the evidence by ordering his scent blockers silently and picking them up before anyone else could, which was a challenge considering Demencia also lived under Black Hat’s roof.

Finally Flug heard a ping, and looked down to see the message he had just received.

_**Staker: So you don’t deny it. Good. I hope you’re raped until you bleed. This will teach you your place, OMEGA.** _

A minute passed. With a sigh, Flug blocked the man.

“That went well,” Demencia commented after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence.

“I’m not doing this anymore,” Flug said, putting the phone down. “I’m not shattering their prides. I’m not hurting them. I’m just entertaining them. Simply knowing I responded to their stupid little messages is enough ‘fap material’ for a week. I know this. This is how my whole life works. This is how it’s going to be from now on…”

He hated it. He hated it so much. He and Demencia had both made many mistakes that led to this, and they both had been punished for it, but Flug had been punished the most. His reputation amongst villains wasn’t great already, considering he was weak, human, powerless, and seen as Black Hat’s personal punching bag, but coming out as a male omega — the youngest male omega at the moment (and it seemed like this title wasn’t changing anytime soon) — was the straw that broke the camel’s back. His reputation was in shambles. Villains no longer saw him as Black Hat’s employee. They saw him as an omega, and just as an omega. He was a walking sex toy, put on a pedestal, seen as the perfect being that must be kept safe from all harm. Flug wanted to tell them to go to hell, all of them. They deserved it. He could send Black Hat after them, but he didn’t want to abuse his influence on Black Hat as an omega, and he had learned this wouldn’t go well considering the eldritch had just tried to claim him to make sure the other alphas took the hint.

“It doesn’t have to be like that, you know?” Demencia pointed out, trying to help somehow.

“Then how will it be? How? Tell me!” Flug demanded, giving the hybrid his most intense stare. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to think of an answer, but nothing came to mind. There was absolutely nothing. Deep down, she knew he was right. Omegas wouldn’t be accepted. She had only learned about the secondary gender’s existence for a short period of time but, disguising herself as an omega, she learned head on that the world wasn’t fair and omegas were treated as inferior beings while being simultaneously put on a pedestal. The truth was: there was no answer. Even if they tried to think of one, how would they apply it to all omegas in the world? They were scattered all over the globe, hiding in fear, some already captured and being forced into marriages and bonding they did not agree with. It wasn’t fair. Flug knew it wasn’t fair. He’d lived with the fear of ending up like one of those omegas, like Rosa, for years. And there was nothing he could do. He was a genius, but he could not alter society. The more he thought about it, the more it made him sad.

“I don’t know,” Demencia finally answered, her voice nothing more than a whisper.

“…Nobody does,” Flug responded coolly.

Demencia sighed as she stood up and left the room through the vents, considering the door was locked. Flug just stared at her go emotionlessly. Perhaps, if it had been any other day previous to the ‘scent blocker accident’, he would’ve laughed and praised himself for managing to make Demencia leave without a fuss, but now he couldn’t feel anything. He could only feel cold and alone. His phone buzzed again, making Flug look down at it. At this point, he didn’t care about all of those messages anymore, nor did he care if anyone would end up harmed by them. He was done with trying to be empathic. The world didn’t care about his feelings, so he would return the favor.

With a sigh, he lied down on his bed, ignoring the buzzing phone, and just stayed there, thinking about all of the mistakes he’d made in his life. Making a deal with Black Hat had been an obvious one. Why in hell did he agree to stay under the wing of an extremely aggressive and possessive alpha? Said alpha was already possessive without the knowledge of Flug’s true secondary gender, but now he had gone nuts. Still, Flug would never regret the choice of running away. He knew he was going to be sold, and he knew he was in danger, so he did the best thing: escape. And, for the first time in ages, he was free. He was in danger, yes, and had to constantly hide, but he was now able to make his own decisions.

With another sigh, Flug closed his eyes and fell asleep.

 

 

_This wasn’t a dream._

_No. It felt more like a nightmare._

_Thomasin saw his father take his belt off slowly, and it all dawned on him. His heart started beating quicker than before, and he knew he was going to have a heart attack if it beat any faster. His whole body froze, despite his mind’s pleas for him to do something — anything at all. He never thought things would end up like this, and his father… His father had gone from a despicable man to a monster. As soon as the shock wore off, Thomasin began to struggle under his father’s grasp. “Stay still, you little shit!” he yelled. He was too drunk to think about using the alpha command. He was just focusing on his son. Quite honestly, nothing about the child was sexually exciting, but the thought of being with another omega after years made him horny, even if the omega in question was his own son. “I’ve… I’ve always wondered… what being with a male omega… feels like…” Atticus slurred. Thomasin scrunched up his nose in disgust, the smell of alcohol invading his nostrils. He tried to move more, but his father’s grip on his neck tightened. If he continued like this Thomasin would end up suffocating._

_He’d had it._

_Baring his teeth, Thomasin’s hand curled into a fist and he punched his father as hard as possible in the face. Atticus, taken aback, stumbled and fell off the bed. Thomasin didn’t stop to breathe, wait until the pain in his hand stopped, or even realize that he had punched his father in the face. He jumped off the bed and wrapped his hands around his father’s neck. The man protested, trying to pry Thomasin’s hands off his throat, but it was useless. The omega was seeing red. Nothing would stop him now._

_This continued for an entire minute. All that could be heard were Thomasin’s labored breaths and Atticus’ groans as he tried to free himself from his son’s grasp. After too much struggle, he gave up. His brain started to feel the lack of oxygen and began to shut down. Thomasin, once he realized his father was no longer resisting, withdrew his hands and ran to the door. Before he left the room, however, he looked at his father one last time. His chest was still going up and down, indicating the man was merely unconscious instead of dead. Thomasin couldn’t help but be relieved. Despite the fact that he hated his father, he would hate himself more for killing a person… Oh, how that would change in a few years, when he realized his survival depended on being a cold-blooded murderer… His father was unconscious. That was good. That meant he had a few hours, or a few minutes. Taking a deep breath, the omega left his father’s room. He went to his own and started to look for his backpack. Once he found it, Thomasin took all of the books off and began to put in stuff that he knew would be useful. He put in some clothes, money, food, scent blockers, and the pepper spray his sister bought him as a gag. He knew it would come in handy one day.  
He sighed, sitting on his bed for a while, with the backpack on his feet. He couldn’t believe he was doing this… Taking a leap of faith, he put the backpack on and went downstairs. His sisters had gone out, leaving him and his father alone. He did want to go with them, but they had claimed it was a “girl’s day”, and he was afraid of showing weakness by telling them he was afraid of being alone with his father. As if being an omega wasn’t enough… _

_As soon as his hand reached the doorknob, he heard a voice._

_“Leaving so soon?” Thomasin spun on his heels, eyes focused on his father. He thought that, with the alcohol involved, the man would be sleeping for a few hours, but once again Atticus managed to prove him wrong. Thomasin wanted to be surprised, but he could only feel rage and fear at this moment. Atticus analyzed his son from head to toe, and his eyes landed on the backpack he was carrying, then on the hand grabbing the doorknob. “You won’t survive out there, child.” Thomasin swallowed. Deep inside, he knew it was true. He had lived a life of luxury; he knew nothing about surviving on his own. And yet, he was willing to try. He would not live like this; not anymore._

_He was going to be free._

_“Watch me.”_

 

 

Flug woke up with a gasp.

He shuddered. He hated memories. They were worse than nightmares. At least he knew nightmares weren’t real, but memories… memories did happen. They showed his past. And his past was always there to haunt him and remind him of how weak he had been. He wanted to tell himself it didn’t matter, but it did. It always did. He groaned and sat up on his bed, rubbing his eyes. He looked at the window and realized it was already dark outside. What time was it? How long had he been asleep? As a scientist, he knew that it didn’t matter if the dream was short or not, a human could sleep for a long amount of time. Flug picked his phone up to check the time. It was 11 pm (it took him about a minute to decipher the moving numbers), and he had a hundred new messages. He had decided to start ignoring those. Should he change his phone number? Yes, he definitely should. Actually, maybe he should change phones altogether. That would avoid a number of problems. Putting his phone down again, Flug stood up and left his room. He looked around, wondering if Black Hat had returned, but it didn’t seem like it. Where had that eldritch gone? Was he hiding? If so, why would he be? What motives he had? If it was because of the incident earlier, he could easily threaten Flug to stay quiet and—

 _Threaten_.

…Of course.

As ‘his’ alpha, he could not threaten or harm Flug, or that was what his inner alpha believed, just like Flug’s inner omega believed he had to be submissive and respectful towards his alpha. It was mutual. Flug offered his loyalty, and, in return, Black Hat offered protection. It was almost like a business, but with sex and instincts. That still did not answer his question, though. Still, he didn’t feel like running into Black Hat at all. He wasn’t ready to face his boss after what had happened, and everything felt too awkward to even acknowledge. Seeing Black Hat being made a hostage to his own instincts was too… surreal. Flug knew he too had been a hostage to his instincts, as have been all alphas and omegas at some point in their lives, but Black Hat was a creature that nobody knew how to describe. He was older than the universe itself and could destroy it in a snap of fingers. How could he not control his own instincts? How had he let his inner alpha take over his body and mind like this, when no hero, no matter how powerful, could do it? Perhaps his inner alpha was as strong as Black Hat himself, or maybe Black Hat let it take control. There was no way to know other than ask Black Hat himself, and this pained Flug. As a scientist, he wanted to know the answer for everything. He usually put in the effort of seeking for it, but this time it would come at a cost. He would rather not risk it. He would’ve gone back to bed and tried to forget about this whole thing if it weren’t for one thing…

He was thirsty.

Closing the door behind him, Flug headed towards the kitchen. Everything was eerily quiet. 5.0.5 was not cleaning anything, and Demencia didn’t seem to be breaking anything in his lab. Finally reaching the kitchen, the omega sighed in relief for not finding anyone in his path. Despite feeling like something was missing, he wasn’t up for human interaction. The silence was almost soothing to an extent. He grabbed a glass and filled it with some orange juice. He went back to his room, making sure to turn off the lights on his way. After making it to his room in one piece — which hadn’t been hard, since the manor wasn’t the warzone it usually was — Flug sat on his bed and began drinking his juice slowly, taking his time. Tomorrow he wanted to go back to work, especially since he barely got anything done due to all of the events that had been happening in his life. Thinking for a bit, he came to the conclusion that everything had gone to shit. He smiled bitterly. Oh, how he wished this had been unexpected news.

Looking at his nightstand, his eyes landed on a kind of wrinkled piece of paper. It was a letter. Eglantine’s letter, he remembered. He didn’t remember if he had been the one to put it on the nightstand or not, but decided not to question anything. He noticed her number was also there. He wondered if he should add her. He really wanted to. Eglantine was a fun person to be around, and, so far, the only omega he had ever met. They could discuss omega problems if Black Hat ever let him go out again, which he hoped he did but highly doubted he would. Putting the semi-empty cup of juice on the nightstand, Flug picked the letter up. Eglantine’s words echoed in his mind:

_“If I were you I’d read it at home, when you’re less drunk and at risk of dying.”_

That was some great advice.

He looked at the letter again. He couldn’t help but wonder what was inside. He wanted to open the letter, but some part of him liked the suspense. What was so important that Eglantine had to tell him through a letter instead of telling him at the party? And, thinking about it, she seemed to have been planning this for some time, too. Taking a deep breath, he opened the letter. Inside, there was a folded piece of paper. Putting the envelope aside, Flug unfolded the paper. There were a lot of words and images he had never seen before. His brain was pounding as he narrowed his eyes, trying to make the letters stop moving and dancing on the paper, but they would not. Putting the paper down, he stopped to take a breather. It was okay. He could do this. He knew the whole “you can do anything if you believe enough” talk was bullshit, as a man of science and logic, but he forced himself to repeat that so he could actually read anything. His sisters had been the one to teach him this. They seemed to be the only ones to acknowledge his disability and help him overcome it. Once he was more relaxed, Flug picked the paper up and read it very, very carefully.

 

 

 _ **Delta Labs  
DNA PROFILING TEST REPORTS**_  
  
_**Alleged parent:** Eglantine Hunter_  
_**Name of child:** Thomasin Mulligan_  
  
_**Statement:**_  
_A comparison of the DNA profiles of **Eglantine Hunter** and **Thomasin Mulligan** does support the hypothesis that **Eglantine Hunter** is the biological parent of **Thomasin Mulligan**. Based on testing results obtained from analysis of the DNA loci listed in the technical data, the probability of paternity is 99,9%._  
  
_**Conclusion:**_  
_The probability of paternity is 99,9%. This result nominates_ **Eglantine Hunter** _as the biological parent of_ **Thomasin Mulligan**.

 

 

Flug just stared. And _stared_. And **_stared_**. Was his dyslexia playing tricks on him? It had to be… He couldn’t be related to Eglantine. Well, this wouldn’t be a bad thing… He had always wanted a mother, but… His mother was dead. His father had told him she was, and all of his sisters could confirm the story. So… why was Eglantine suddenly claiming she was his mother? It wasn’t entirely impossible, however. He just wanted to know where she was his whole life. She was an omega, so obviously she was mated to his father. He wondered if she was even from this country. Maybe not. Maybe she had been taken from her family, kidnapped at a young age like most omegas, and sold to the highest bidding alpha. That alpha was his father. Flug felt disgust. How could his father stoop so low? Although he wasn’t that surprised…The most likely conclusion was that she ran away somehow, considering she was no longer in Atticus’s grasp, and he had to lie about her whereabouts, or thought she really was dead (considering society learned to think that an omega by itself was a defenseless omega, and thus a dead omega). He was happy for her. Eglantine had found true love in Amadeus, an alpha who knew how to treat her like a human being. Suddenly Eglantine’s words at the ball made much more sense now…

_“We have a lot in common, you know.”_

_“Uh, yeah… It’s a strange coincidence.”_

_“I wouldn’t really call it a coincidence.”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“Nothing, really.”_

“I’m Eglantine’s son,” he murmured, perplexed. A small smile made its way to the corner of his lips. Yes, he could get used to this. He decided to embrace that. And then he noticed Eglantine had written something at the bottom of the paper.

 

_**Hi Eglantine’s son, I’m mom.** _

 

… He was starting to regret his decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can already see some of you connecting the dots in your mind, while others cheer because they KNEW since the beginning that dear Eglantine was Flug's mom.
> 
> Well, those of you who were correct, enjoy your, uh, five seconds of happiness or something. This chapter wasn't really that exciting, but next chapter will be~
> 
> And now I wonder. Where is Black Hat? Is he destroying a nearby state? Is he sulking on a corner? Who knows except for me? Anyway, leave your theories in the comments, as well as what you think Flug is going to do with the information of his newfound parentage. Any questions you have, just ask them in the comments and I'll answer them, as long as the answers aren't spoiler-y. I can already tell you one thing, though, that I know might have confused some of you: "segenderism" is a term created by me to describe discrimination against a certain secondary gender. "Se" comes from secondary and "genderism" is from gender. I think this fits much better than sexism, since, well, a secondary gender isn't a sex. I hope that makes enough sense.
> 
> With that said, I'm signing out (more like passing out, though, I've been working on this chapter for god knows how long).


End file.
